It was a Hotter Than Hell year for Dua Lipa, with her smash-hit album Radical Optimism and headlining Glastonbury in 2024, sending her bank account above the $200 million mark.
And the 12 months ended in the best way possible, with her partner, Fantastic Beasts actor Callum Turner, popping the question just before New Year’s Eve. Dua, 29, is now rocking a $55,000 diamond solitaire engagement ring.
“Dua and Callum are so in love, and they know this is forever,” tells a close source. “Callum is such a support for Dua and they make a wonderful couple. Their family and friends are so happy.”
However, it’s been a long journey to romantic bliss for the Houdini singer. Of her 2016 hit Hotter Than Hell, she admits, “It was initially quite a sad song because I came out of a really awful break-up and felt like I wasn’t good enough, but I didn’t want that person to know I felt like that, so I had this false sense of confidence for that song. Then as I was writing it, I started getting over the situation and felt more empowered.”
Break-up anthem New Rules helped Dua land her first UK number one. The memorable music video shows her prancing through a hotel with pals and doing each other’s hair. It’s a reflection of her own story.
“That’s what I do when I would go through a break-up,” she says. “I go to my friends for comfort and advice. I tend to be the person who’s really good at giving advice but terrible at taking my own.”
Her 2019 hit Don’t Start Now was reportedly born from her split from British chef/model Isaac Carew.
With subsequent singles One Kiss, Electricity and Levitating, Dua cemented her spot as a global superstar, but her love life remained rocky.
Her two-year romance with Anwar Hadid, now 25, the brother of fellow models Gigi and Bella, fell apart in 2021. Dua recorded music in London and LA while Anwar was home in New York.
Then, in early 2023, Dua was linked to 43-year-old French director Romain Gavras. He had previously dated rival singer Rita Ora. The power couple made their red-carpet debut at the Cannes Film Festival months later, but their age gap attracted criticism, with one online commentator posting, “Her dad looks way younger.”
Their relationship was over by the end of the year, with an insider saying, “Romain considered Dua to be a workaholic, but she doesn’t plan on slowing down for anything or anyone.”
It could be that Callum’s understanding of the driven nature often required to succeed as a musician and actor has helped the two form tight bonds.
Raised in council flats, Callum, 34, dreamed of a football career, before switching to showbiz. However, he fell into a years-long cannabis addiction, which he had to overcome before starring opposite George Clooney in 2023’s The Boys In The Boat.
It was at the 2024 premiere of Masters Of The Air that Callum, who previously dated The Crown’s Vanessa Kirby, was spotted slow-dancing with Dua. The lovebirds were then snapped making out in LA, before going public in Cannes.
“Dua and Callum spend almost all their time together and are nearly inseparable,” says a source. “They’re very serious about one another. They have a very balanced energy and Dua couldn’t be happier than she is with Callum.”
The fact that he loves her family is important to Dua, who has described her parents as her “best friends”. The couple were Kosovo refugees. While Dua was born in London, the family headed back to their homeland when she was 11.
She persuaded her parents to let her return to London to pursue music at 15, then landed a record deal at 18.
Dua recalls, “I was like, ‘I can quit my waitress job now and don’t have to go back. This is so exciting!’”
These days, Dua is a dance icon and her tracks are global anthems. While there will always be setbacks, heartbreaks and industry disappointments – like the recent Grammys snub for Radical Optimism, which has infuriated fans – she won’t be deterred. Instead, she’ll just work harder.
“Every time someone has doubted me, I’ve proved them wrong,” says Dua. “I’m like, ‘This is fuelling me. This is pushing me to be better, to work hard.’ I get a real kick out of proving people wrong.”
Listen to Dua Lipa’s music now on Apple Music.
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