Looking back at singer-actress Hailee Steinfeld’s doomed relationship with One Direction member Niall Horan as she gets engaged to Josh Allen.

Before Hailee Steinfeld got engaged to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, the singer-actress’s brief romance with the former One Direction member Niall Horan captured the attention of fans and the media alike.

Hailee Steinfeld | Credit: Gage Skidmore/CCA BY-SA 2.0/Wikimedia Commons

The couple was reportedly together nearly for a year before they eventually split up. However, their brief relationship continued to be in the conversation, largely due to lingering rumors and their subtle digs, leaving many to question what truly went wrong.

Hailee Steinfeld’s Romance With One Direction Member Niall Horan

Throughout her career in the industry, Hailee Steinfeld has been linked with several notable names, including the former One Direction member Niall Horan. What began as a friendship soon blossomed into a romance.

Niall Horan | Credit: niallhoran via Instagram

The former couple was spotted on numerous occasions, including enjoying a Backstreet Boys show, as per People. A few months later the couple went public with their romance after they were captured kissing in Los Angeles.

Prior to Horan, the Starving singer briefly dated Cameron Smoller, while the Slow Hands singer had previously been linked to several names, including Selena Gomez and Ellie Goulding.

What Did Hailee Steinfeld And Niall Horan Said About Their Romantic Lives?

Amid the numerous speculations surrounding their romantic relationship, Hailee Steinfeld addressed such fan discussion in an interview with US Weekly, saying,

I feel so lucky that [my fans] care enough about me to know what I’m doing every second of every day, but I think that sometimes it’s hard for people, in general, to realize that there are boundaries to a person’s life and personal life.

Hailee Steinfeld | Credit: haileesteinfeld via Instagram

Later in an interview with Cosmopolitan, the actress opened up about the experience of falling in love, saying, “When you fall in love…you start doing things for this person and going out of your way to make them happy.”

“And when you see them happy, it makes you happier. When you love who you are with that person…there’s nothing that compares,” she added, sparking speculation that she was referencing the This Town singer.

While Horan has spoken little about their relationship, he referred to Steinfeld as “the loveliest person on the planet and one of my best friends” in a heartfelt birthday tribute on Instagram in 2017.

Hailee Steinfeld And Niall Horan Split Up

Hailee Steinfeld and Niall Horan’s romance did not last long, as news of their split emerged less than a year after they were first linked. In December 2018, the couple was officially broken up, as per People.

The following reports revealed that the two have been trying to keep their relationship “low-key” while making an effort to make it work. However, their demanding schedules ultimately posed a challenge.

A still from Too Much To Ask music video | Credit: Niall Horan via YouTube

“Hailee and Niall were going strong over the summer but split a few months ago and have been trying to keep it low-key,” a source told E! News as they explained, “Hailee realized she had a lot on her plate and her work schedule was insanely busy. She was gearing up for a huge press tour for her new movie.”

“They really tried to make it work,” the source continued, “It definitely was young love.” However, speculation about the breakup grew with the actress seemingly shading her ex.

Hailee Steinfeld’s Appeared to Shade Her Ex After Split

While both Niall Horan and Hailee Steinfeld did not say anything about their split, the actress did appear to subtly shade her ex through social media. As per J-14, soon after their split, the Oscar-nominee appeared to be shading her ex in an Instagram story.

“I bet you think of me when you see this driving down sunset,” she shared in the post with a picture of her 2018 film Bumblebee movie billboard. This along with some of her social media posts sparked speculations that she was shading her ex, Niall Horan through these posts.

A still from Pitch Perfect 2 | Credit: Universal Pictures

However, the Pitch Perfect actress declined such speculations in a tweet, stating, “No hidden messages my loves. Just reposted an interesting read that I’m sure some of y’all can relate to. Nothing but love!”

While the actress denied having any cryptic meaning to her posts, the release of her single Wrong Direction a year after their split, reignited the conversation.

Hailee Steinfeld Seemingly Accused Niall Horan of Cheating

In 2020, Hailee Steinfeld released her single Wrong Direction, a heartfelt track that delves into the pain of being in a toxic relationship, with lyrics hinting at potential infidelity by her ex.

However, the singer did not explicitly confirm the inspiration behind the track. The speculations continued after she released her first EP Half Written Story, leading to discussions that some of the songs in the album were about the Seeing Blind singer and their relationship.

A still from Wrong Direction | Credit: Hailee Steinfeld via YouTube

Steinfeld added to the buzz when she opened up about how Wrong Direction was “more difficult to write than the others.” She told SiriusXM Hits 1’s The Morning Mash-Up,

I know there are some records that are just, like … you’ll know when you hear them, but there’s a song on the record called ‘Wrong Direction,’ which I found more difficult to write than the others just because of … I mean, just being in that headspace.

However, despite the speculations, reports revealed that Horan remained unfazed by the song. “Niall is not losing any sleep over Hailee’s upcoming single,” reported Hollywood Life, as per Express UK.

Niall Horan Hinted Heartbreak Weather Songs Were About Hailee Steinfeld

Sources suggested that Niall Horan was well aware of the potential fallout of dating someone prominent in the entertainment industry and took it in stride.

“He knows the name of the game when it comes to music, and these types of songs will happen from time to time, he’ll likely do it in the future himself,” Express UK stated in a report.

Around the same time as Steinfeld, the Irish singer also released his second studio album, Heartbreak Weather, and appeared to acknowledge that some of the songs in the album were about his ex, which she was aware of.

Niall Horan | Credit: Apple Music

He told Apple Music,

But I think I’ve covered all angles of the relationship from everyone’s point of view, which is good. I mean, it’ll probably still sound really selfish, but my idea when I was writing them was that it was written from other people’s angles and stuff. But listen, it’s all good. It’s all good now.

Songs from his second studio album like Bend the Rules and San Francisco are believed to be about the Arcane actress, along with his 2019 single titled, Put A Little Love On Me.

However, despite their conflicted past, the two have since moved on. The Irish singer has reportedly been dating Amelia Woolley since 2020 and Steinfeld has been in a relationship with the sports star Josh Allen, and the couple recently got engaged.

Hailee Steinfeld and Josh Allen Announce Engagement

Hailee Steinfeld and her fiance, Josh Allen, recently revealed their engagement on Instagram. The couple revealed the news with a photo of the moment, with Allen on one knee in front of Seinfeld, surrounded by a floral arch and a candlelit walkway.

The caption of the post states, “11•22•24” suggesting that the proposal took place on November 22, last Friday. The couple has reportedly been together since the spring of 2023 and have been seen out together on several occasions.