Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson's Relationship Timeline

According to a source, Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson "got engaged years ago"

Dakota Johnson, Chris Martin
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage / Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson are still going strong.

According to a source, the couple "got engaged years ago," but decided to keep the news to themselves.

After Martin and his ex-wife, Gwyneth Paltrow, "consciously uncoupled" in 2014 and finalized their divorce in 2016, the Coldplay singer began a relationship with Johnson sometime in 2017.

In October 2021, Martin declared his love for the actress when he publicly dedicated his song "Universe" to Johnson during a Coldplay concert. "This is about my universe, and she's here," he said to the audience.

From their first date to their cozy life in Malibu, here's everything to know about Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson's romance.

October 2017: Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin are spotted on a date in L.A.

Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson
MEGA

Johnson and Martin were first spotted together in October 2017 on what appeared to be a romantic date at a sushi restaurant in Los Angeles.

They were "cozy, laughing and affectionate," a source told PEOPLE. At the time, the pair's reps didn't offer any comment on the sighting.

November 2017: Dakota Johnson watches Chris Martin perform

A month later, Johnson was seen at a Coldplay concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As PEOPLE reported at the time, many fans took to social media to post pictures of Johnson enjoying the show.

January 2018: Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin go on a few more dates

In early 2018, the pair continued spending time together and were spotted on several quiet dates in L.A.

In January, the pair were seen having a Friday night dinner at Soho House in Malibu. "Chris and Dakota arrived together in Chris' car. They met up with friends and had a fun night," an eyewitness told PEOPLE. "They both seemed very happy. They were flirty, and also left the restaurant together."

Later that month, Martin and Johnson were spotted arm in arm walking on the beach. According to one source, they spent "most of the weekend together in Malibu."

The couple then made their first public appearance at Stella McCartney's Autumn 2018 Collection. As PEOPLE reported, the couple chose not to make their red carpet debut, but instead used a private entrance.

While they may have been camera shy, they apparently displayed their affection inside the event. "They walked in holding hands and Dakota was not letting go — she was super into the PDA," a witness said. "When Chris let go of her hand, she slipped her arm through his."

In January, Johnson's father, Don Johnson, also appeared to confirm the rumors of his daughter's relationship during an interview with Digital Spy. "Yeah, that's... uh troubling, isn't it? No, she's a big girl, she can handle herself!" he said.

May 2018: Dakota Johnson's mom opens up about Chris Martin

Shortly after Johnson's father seemed to confirm his daughter's relationship, her mother, Melanie Griffith, also opened up about Johnson's love life.

"I adore him!" Griffith said during the Global Gift Foundation USA Women's Empowerment Luncheon at the Yardbird Southern Table & Bar. She kept her comments brief out of respect for her daughter's privacy. "She is very private about her life and I respect that," she added.

June 2018: Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin spend more time at home

Dakota Johnson and boyfriend Chris Martin
RMBI/BACKGRID

In the summer of 2018, Johnson and Martin's relationship appeared to be going as strong as ever. In June, they were seen hand in hand while walking Martin's dog Zeppelin in Malibu.

According to one source, their relationship was becoming more serious. "For the past two weeks, they have spent a lot of time together," a source told PEOPLE. "Chris lives in Malibu and Dakota seems to love hanging out there. They occasionally go for dinner with friends, but mostly have friends over at home."

September 2018: Dakota Johnson appears to confirm her relationship with Chris Martin

After almost a year of speculation, Johnson finally seemed to acknowledge her relationship with Martin during a 2018 interview with Tatler.

As E! News reported, she said simply, "I'm not going to talk about it, but I am very happy."

November 2018: Dakota Johnson celebrates Thanksgiving with Chris Martin's family

In November 2018, Johnson met the family over Thanksgiving dinner — in this case, the family consisted of Martin's ex-wife, Paltrow, her new husband Brad Falchuk, and Martin and Paltrow's two children, Apple and Moses.

A source told PEOPLE, "They're a total modern family and had a great time celebrating together."

August 2019: Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin spend time in the Hamptons with Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband

Chris Martin, Dakota Johnson
TheImageDirect

In August 2019, Johnson and Martin were spotted swimming in the Hamptons, New York. They were later joined by Paltrow and Falchuk, with whom they spent time on the beach.

September 2019: Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin are photographed together at an event

In September 2019, Martin and Johnson made a rare public appearance when they attended Forest Whitaker's Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative gala in New York City. As PEOPLE reported, Johnson even placed her hand on Martin's knee in one photo.

January 2020: Gwyneth Paltrow opens up about her ex's relationship with Dakota Johnson

In a 2020 interview with Harper's Bazaar, Paltrow opened up about her ex-husband's new relationship.

As Paltrow explained, she and Martin maintained a close relationship after their divorce. "It's a lifelong commitment to constantly reinvent your relationship with your ex, which you do presumably because you have children together. I don't see a reason to do it if you don't have children together," she said.

She explained that Johnson had become part of their family. "I love her. I can see how it would seem weird because it's sort of unconventional. But I think, in this case, just having passed through it iteratively, I just adore her," she said. "I always start to think of the ampersand sign — what else can you bring in, instead of being resistant to or being made insecure by? There's so much juice in leaning into something like that."

February 2020: Dakota Johnson collaborates with Chris Martin on a Coldplay music video

In February 2020, Johnson and Martin collaborated professionally on Coldplay's music video for "Cry Cry Cry," with Johnson directing Martin and the rest of Coldplay.

But as Johnson told Marie Claire, she didn't get any special treatment because of her relationship. "I wrote the story and pitched it to the band like every other director did, and they chose mine — not because they're partial to me at all," she said.

March 2020: Olivia Wilde posts a video of Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin on Instagram

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson and Martin appeared to be spending more time together at home. Johnson's friend, actress Olivia Wilde, shared a glimpse into their relationship with a hand-washing lesson.

In the video, Johnson is demonstrating hand washing, but it quickly becomes clear that the hands belong to Martin, who is standing behind her.

December 2020: Dakota Johnson sparks rumors of an engagement to Chris Martin

Rumors began to spark that Johnson and Martin were engaged in December 2020 after photos surfaced of the actress wearing a large emerald ring on her left hand. At the time, Johnson and Martin's reps made no comment.

January 2021: Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin move into a home in Malibu together

In early 2021, Johnson and Martin moved into a shared home in Malibu. Shortly after their move, a source told PEOPLE that while Johnson "seemed like more of a city girl" in the early days of their relationship, she was enjoying life in Malibu.

"She seems to enjoy it as much as Chris does," the source said. "They both love the outdoors and often take beach strolls. They also support local restaurants."

July 2021: Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin go on a romantic Spain getaway

In July 2021, Martin and Johnson were seen in Palma de Mallorca during a summer vacation. The pair were spotted walking arm in arm and taking a boat ride off the coast.

October 2021: Chris Martin dedicates a Coldplay song to Dakota Johnson

While Martin rarely speaks publicly about his relationship with Johnson, during a Coldplay concert in London in 2021, the singer gave his girlfriend a touching shout out.

In a video captured by a fan, Martin introduced the song "My Universe" by saying, "This is about my universe, and she's here." Johnson can then be seen dancing in the front row of the balcony.

November 2021: Dakota Johnson's father opens up about his daughter's relationship with Chris Martin

While Don Johnson may have been hesitant about his daughter's relationship with Martin in its early days, by November 2021, he appeared to be a big fan of her partner.

When asked about the rumors of an engagement on Good Day New York, he said, "Oh god. I don't think much further than about the next seven or eight seconds."

"But listen, if she's happy, I will be happy, and he's a lovely guy," he continued. "And if she decides to get married, I would imagine that there would be grandchildren not too far out for that. I'd be pretty excited about that part."

December 2021: Dakota Johnson talks about her life with Chris Martin

In December 2021, Johnson opened up about their day-to-day lives in an interview with Elle.

For the most part, she explained, her and Martin's daily routine is pretty quiet. "We've been together for quite a while, and we go out sometimes, but we both work so much that it's nice to be at home and be cozy and private," she said. "Most of the partying takes place inside my house."

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter one month prior, Johnson revealed that she and Martin were spending a lot of their time staying in and binging Squid Game.

January 2022: Chris Martin crashes Dakota Johnson's Zoom event

Chris Martin Dakota Johnson
Sundance Institute/YouTube

In January 2022, Johnson and Martin provided another glimpse into their relationship when Martin briefly crashed a Sundance Film Festival Zoom event.

During a Zoom interview for the film Cha Cha Real Smooth, Johnson chatted with interviewer Charlie Sextro, costar Vanessa Burghardt and director and writer Cooper Raiff. When Sextro introduced Johnson to the call, there was a brief moment of silence as she tried to connect.

A few moments later, Johnson's video connected to show her giggling with Martin who had apparently helped his girlfriend with her technical difficulties. Martin quickly gave a peace sign and left the room.

April 2022: Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin celebrate Barbra Streisand's 80th birthday

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc8Piizq2UB/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= barbrastreisand Verified With friends at my recent tea party.
barbrastreisand/Instagram

In April 2022, Johnson and Martin helped Barbra Streisand ring in her 80th birthday at a tea party. Streisand posted a photo with the couple from the festivities, which were also attended by her husband James Brolin and stepson Josh Brolin.

October 16, 2022: Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin are seen strolling in Malibu

Johnson and Martin were seen visiting a Malibu beach, their arms around each other as they walked barefoot through the sand. The 50 Shades of Grey actress looked cozy in a white sweater and gray sweatpants while Martin was photographed in a gray T-shirt with blue track pants.

November 2022: Dakota Johnson dances at a Coldplay concert in Argentina

Fans spotted Johnson, who was casually clad in color-block jeans and a tank top, supporting Martin at a Coldplay concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In the TikTok video, she can be seen dancing and waving to the crowd.

March 19, 2023: Chris Martin shares how Dakota Johnson improved Coldplay concerts for the hearing impaired

Johnson introduced Martin to SubPacs — a device that allows the hearing impaired to feel the vibrations of a concert.

"Dakota, my partner, gave me one as a gift because she saw someone online experiencing whatever they are experiencing with this," the Coldplay singer said on the Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend podcast. "It's kind of like body armor that you put on. It connects to the bass."

He continued: "So, we started using it and it's been so amazing and it should get better and better. We have ten or twenty now of those packs. So, if you're hearing impaired we have an area where you put on the pack and you can feel the show."

October 5, 2023: Gwyneth Paltrow says she and Dakota Johnson are "very good friends"

Gwyneth Paltrow and Dakota Johnson

Todd Williamson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty; Michael Loccisano/Getty

During a Q&A on Instagram, Paltrow opened up about her relationship with Martin's girlfriend.

"We’re actually very good friends," she said. “I love her so much. She’s an adorable, wonderful person."

November 29, 2023: Gwyneth Paltrow posts a photo of her and Dakota Johnson holding hands

Gwyneth Paltrow Holds Hands with Ex Chris Martin's Girlfriend Dakota Johnson

Gwyneth Paltrow Instagram

Paltrow shared a sweet photo of her and Johnson on Instagram. The pair, who both wore jeans and were bundled up in winter jackets, were pictured holding hands and smiling while on a walk.

February 19, 2024: Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin are spotted on a getaway in Mexico

Johnson and Martin were spotted hand-in-hand on the beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

The couple was seen wading into the water together as Johnson wore a white one-piece swimsuit and Martin wore grey swim trunks.

March 8, 2024: Source confirms Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson's engagement

Chris Martin Serenades Dakota Johnson at Concert
JMEnternational for BRIT Awards/Getty; Samir Hussein/WireImage

Fans were right. The large emerald ring that Johnson has been sporting since 2020 is an engagement ring.

"They got engaged years ago but were in no rush to get married," a source told PEOPLE of Martin and the actress.

August 16, 2024: Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin are "happily together" amid breakup rumors

Following claims that Johnson and Martin had gone their separate ways, a rep for Johnson told PEOPLE there was no truth to the rumors.

“They are happily together," the rep said.

Related Articles