Almost half a decade of will they or won't they is finally over, or is it?
This notoriously cagey duo, that's denied couple-rumors for years, seems to have embraced
a very public romance.
But it's still not official.
Here's the truth about Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello's relationship.
First impression
When Mendes and Cabello first met in 2014, he was just starting out in the industry and
she was still a member of Fifth Harmony, which is how they both ended up performing as opening
acts for Austin Mahone.
But a romance wasn't immediately in the stars for the pair, in fact, Cabello dated Mahone
that same year.
In 2019, during a conversation for V magazine, Cabello talked with Mendes about touring together,
telling him,
"I remember I wanted to hang out with you, but you were always on the tour bus, just
learning guitar."
In turn, Mendes recalled,
"You were the only person that talked to me.
Like, you were the only one of everybody on that tour who would say words to me."
He then revealed what he first thought about Cabello when they met, saying,
"I also thought you were crazy.
Insane…I thought you were out of your mind.
I'd be in my bus where no one could see me.
I'd be looking through the window and I'd see you like, flying around on a scooter and
jumping and doing cartwheels.
I'd be like, she's insane."
Cabello's particularly quirky side certainly seems to have left a lasting impression on
Mendes.
"Wife Camila"
During the spring following their first meeting, Mendes made it clear that a friendship was
blooming between himself and Cabello.
While doing an interview for Capital FM in March 2015, the "In My Blood" singer was presented
with a relationship-based question which prompted him to reveal that he and Cabello had gotten
much closer.
When asked who he would, quote, "lip, wife, or leave" if he had to choose between Camila
Cabello, Jade Thirlwall from the British girl group Little Mix, and actress Chloë Grace
Moretz, he quickly and easily made his picks.
Mendes said that he would, quote, "lips Chloë," and he decided to "leave Jade" because he
didn't know her at the time.
But it was Cabello who he chose as his theoretical bride.
Still, it wasn't because he was suddenly willing to admit that he was in love with her.
Instead, he explained his choice by saying,
"Because I know Camila well, I'd probably wife Camila."
We'll just have to wait to see if he was somehow predicting a future wedding.
Professional partners
Not long after Mendes took Cabello as his hypothetical bride, the fast friends found
themselves making sweet music together.
In November 2015, they released the duet "I Know What You Did Last Summer" which they
wrote on a whim when they met up at a show during Taylor Swift's 1989 Tour.
Cabello told Rolling Stone that the time they spent collaborating gave their relationship
the opportunity to take another significant step forward, saying,
"That was the first time we had ever really spent more than a few minutes talking to each
other.
We were just backstage hanging out, I pulled out my guitar and we were just messing around,
not really thinking about writing a song."
As nice as that sounds, Mendes also explained that writing the song happened to cause the
duo to get into, in his words, a "s---load of fights."
Thankfully, their disagreements didn't stand in the way of their growing fondness for each
other, which Cabello confirmed, saying,
"I am very lucky that we wrote the song because I also got a really good friendship out of
that."
Protesting too much?
While appearing on The Late Late Show with James Corden in November 2015, the famous
friends faced questions that had come from inquisitive Twitter users.
One unabashedly curious fan asked if Cabello and Mendes were dating.
The duo said no, of course, but Corden wasn't willing to drop the matter that quickly, and
certainly wasn't convinced.
"Can I be honest?
I don't believe you…"
"We're not…"
"There's no way you haven't made out…"
"We haven't actually."
"No way, why?"
Despite their claims, Corden kept pushing.
"There's no way you haven't made out…"
"We haven't…"
"We really haven't…"
"I don't believe you though…"
"I don't care."
Both music stars teased about "friend-zoning" each other, then tried to brush off their
comments by saying that they were joking, but Corden pointed out that they were being
particularly defensive about the subject.
Perhaps a little too defensive?
Mendes later told People of the appearance,
"We don't take ourselves seriously…so that wasn't awkward.
We're also so close with each other that we could say anything, and it wouldn't make a
difference.
And that's a friendship that you have to hold on to forever."
Shawn's greatest friend
Nearly a year after their infamous appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Mendes
and Cabello were still dealing with speculation about a possible romantic situation in their
not-too-distant past.
When Mendes was asked by People in October 2016 if he and Cabello were ever together,
he replied,
"No, we weren't, actually.
We're just really close friends.
She is one of those people who is just very easy to connect with and still, to this day,
is one of my greatest friends.
You find that instant connection with people, and she's one of them."
He then praised Cabello for her songwriting skills, saying,
"She's a f---ing great writer."
He admitted that he would eagerly collaborate with her again if ever given the chance, saying,
"Even if we just wrote for other people, I would be happy to do that because she's such
a thrill to write with and work with."
Supporting each other
Even when Cabello and Mendes aren't collaborating, they're still each other's biggest fans and
supporters.
In May 2017, when Cabello released "Crying in the Club," Mendes shared the video on Twitter,
writing,
"Speechless... goosebumps all over.
You're incredible."
She replied,
"I love u SO much and I miss u even more than I love u thank u for being such an amazing
friend."
She even added hearts and an emoji of a couple holding hands to emphasize her feelings about
his message.
In return, two years later, in May 2019, Cabello showed her support for Mendes' song "If I
Can't Have You" by tweeting,
"CANADA IS BAAAACK!!!!
My grandma and I are rocking out to this right now.
Love this and love you very very much."
Fans responded to the message with comments like one adoring follower's tweet that said,
"WE STAN BEST FRIENDS FOR LIFEEE."
But another Twitter user was among the many who suggested,
"babe the song is about u."
If that's true, Mendes was certainly feeling a lot more than just friendship towards Cabello,
who he had known for a few years at this point, when he sang lyrics like:
"Is it too late to tell you that everything means nothing if I can't have you?"
A great wife
In December 2017, Mendes still insisted he and Cabello were not in a romantic relationship,
but he also called her "girlfriend material" while chatting with The New Paper.
Then he added an opinion that seemed to suggest he had thought about Cabello as more than
just a friend, saying,
"The next guy that finds her should wife her up."
And while that might have had fans planning for a potential wedding sometime in the future,
Mendes apparently admitted that he didn't think their relationship would become anything
more than what it was at the time, saying,
"We're just really good friends but I love her.
She's one of my best friends."
"Favorite person"
By April 2018, Mendes made it clear that he no longer considered Cabello just one of his
many best friends.
During an interview with Beats 1, he admitted that she was, in fact, his, quote, "favorite
person in the whole world."
"I don't think you'll ever meet somebody who can feel emotion like her, in all aspects.
She can feel hurt like no other, but she can feel love like no other."
He also revealed that Cabello's, quote, "love for what she believed in," which he described
as "so powerful," was such an inspiration to him that he ended up writing an entire
album based on one night in the studio they'd spent together while writing "I Know What
You Did Last Summer."
Cabello shared Mendes' interview right after Beats 1 posted it on Twitter and added her
own emotional opinion about what had been said, writing,
"I shouldn't be crying at this time in the morning but I AM…I love you SO much [Shawn
Mendes]."
First listen
During an interview with 103.5 KTU in March 2018, Shawn revealed that Cabello is the first
person he lets listen to his new music, even admitting that he send his songs to her before
he sends them to his family.
His reason?
He claims he "treasures" her opinion.
Cabello also revealed earlier that same year while sitting down for a chat on the Zach
Sang Show that she gives Mendes an early listen to her work, saying that she had sent him
her Camila album a couple of weeks before it came out.
He apparently told her that his favorite song off the album was "Inside Out," and she admitted
that his choice surprised her.
"I thought he would choose 'All These Years' or some of the more singer-songwritery stuff."
However, after a moment she realized why his choice made sense.
"Actually now I can picture him doing his weird salsa dance moves."
Sketchy timing
In June 2019, the duo released its sizzling and suggestive song "Señorita" which includes
lines like,
"You say that we're just friends, but friends don't know the way you taste."
While fans were swooning thanks to the sultry single and accompanying video, news came out
just a few days after the release that Cabello had reportedly broken up with her boyfriend
Matthew Hussey, who she had been dating for over 18 months.
Although Cabello kept pretty quiet about the split with Hussey, she went ahead and posted
about Mendes on Instagram.
Along with sharing behind-the-scenes pictures of their "Señorita" video-shoot, she wrote,
"You've been in my life for 5 years now and it's a hell of a ride growing up together.
Thank you for always being there for me and having my back, and also for saying funny
s--- during takes so it was impossible not to laugh.
Everybody on here that loves you would only love you more if they really knew you."
Major PDA
Mendes and Cabello barely waited a month after her breakup with Hussey before showing serious
signs that their own romance had finally blossomed.
After being spotted holding hands in West Hollywood in early July 2019, the pair was
seen getting cozy and kissing while out in San Francisco, and then holding hands in New
York City in August.
After seeing the pair enjoying breakfast together, an eyewitness told Us Weekly,
"They looked very much like a couple.
You [could] see them making out at the table.
They looked very into each other.
Shawn and Camila were splitting pancakes.
Then after, they started kissing.
He had his arm around her a lot of the meal, and they were chatting, not too much laughing,
but they looked in love.
They were there around 10:30 a.m. and not too many people noticed who they were."
Their not-so-stealthy ways may not have attracted too much attention at first, but that definitely
wouldn't last.
Still not confirmed
At the end of July 2019, Cabello and Mendes enjoyed what Just Jared called a "date night"
together at a Blink-182 concert.
They were reportedly in Florida while spending time together during Mendes' 2019 tour and
the next day Just Jared shared photos of the pair showing off some, quote, "steamy PDA"
while in Miami.
During an afternoon at the beach where they apparently spent some time cooling off with
friends, Cabello and Mendes were spotted heating things up while swimming together.
The revealing pictures came just days before Variety released an interview with Cabello
in which she talked about the inspiration for her work, saying that instead of looking
back to the past or an imaginary future, she's focusing on where she is now.
And when it comes to her present situation, she didn't offer up a name for who's making
her feel so heavenly these days, but did explain,
"Falling in love is like an infinite amount of levels and layers and angles.
I fell in love and just opened up."
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