From Stolen Glances to the BAFTA Red Carpet — Paul Mescal & Gracie Abrams’ Love Story Is the Sweetest Thing You’ll Read Today

There's Hollywood romance, and then there's this. Paul Mescal and Gracie Abrams just made their relationship undeniably, beautifully official — not with a carefully worded statement or a polished Instagram…

By Reetam Bodhak

February 23, 2026

3 min read

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There’s Hollywood romance, and then there’s this. Paul Mescal and Gracie Abrams just made their relationship undeniably, beautifully official — not with a carefully worded statement or a polished Instagram post, but with a spontaneous cheek kiss on the BAFTA red carpet on February 22, 2026. Simple. Soft. Perfect.

Gracie was there to support Paul, who attended the 79th BAFTAs as a nominee for Hamnet, where he plays William Shakespeare. And honestly, the way she showed up for him? We need to talk about it.

BAFTA Red Carpet: Paul Mescal & Gracie Abrams Relationship Timeline at a Glance

Date	Milestone
June 2024	First paparazzi spotting — Paul cups her face at a dinner date
August 2024	Photographed holding hands in London, spotted “kissing a lot”
September 2024	Hand-in-hand public stroll — dating confirmed by body language
October 2024	Paul cheers Gracie on as she opens for Taylor Swift at the Eras Tour, Miami
November 2024	Attend the Gladiator II premiere after-party together
February 2025	Gracie tells Cosmopolitan: “My current form of love feels like home”
May 2025	Gracie attends The History of Sound premiere at Cannes for Paul
June 2025	Instagram semi-official — Gracie posts them at a music festival
January 2026	Gracie posts Paul’s Hamnet photo: “Also I love him surprise”
February 22, 2026	Red carpet official — BAFTA cheek kiss seals the deal

The Little Details That Made This Romance Irresistible

Long before the cameras caught up with them, fans were already doing the detective work. Many noticed that Gracie’s song Normal Thing contained the lyric — widely interpreted as a nod to Paul’s breakout role in Normal People — about falling for a movie star at a dimly lit bar. Whether it was intentional or not, it sent the internet into a spiral.

By the time Paul was spotted cupping her face at dinner in June 2024, it was essentially over for anyone hoping to stay unbothered. These two were clearly something.

What’s genuinely lovely about their romance is the quiet mutuality of it — she flies to Cannes for him, he stands in a crowd at the Eras Tour for her. No grand gestures, just consistent, low-key devotion. Gracie also plays the character of William Shakespeare’s wife Anne Hathaway in fan discussions online — a poetic coincidence given Paul plays the Bard himself in Hamnet.

For more on Paul Mescal’s Oscar journey and BAFTA 2026 highlights, head over to TechnoSports’ entertainment coverage — and don’t miss our BAFTA 2026 winners roundup for everything that went down on the night.

FAQs

Q: When did Paul Mescal and Gracie Abrams go red carpet official?

They made their red carpet debut as a couple at the BAFTA Awards on February 22, 2026, where Gracie gave Paul a sweet cheek kiss in front of cameras.

Q: How did Paul Mescal and Gracie Abrams first meet?

The exact meeting isn’t confirmed publicly, but they were first spotted together on a dinner date in June 2024, with romance rumours picking up quickly after.