Yahoo Finance Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton's Relationship Timeline
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As Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton's Stranger Things characters fell for each other in 1984 Hawkins, their off-screen romance began to blossom as well.
Dyer and Heaton first met when they were cast on the Netflix series as Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers, and fans couldn't help but notice their chemistry when the show premiered in July 2016.
Within months of its release, fans began to speculate that the two actors were a couple in real life. The pair ignited even more dating rumors in 2017 when they were spotted together at the Los Angeles International Airport after attending the Golden Globes.
In the beginning of their relationship, Dyer and Heaton did their best to keep their romance under wraps, a move that Heaton later spoke about during an interview with GQ.
"We didn't really know what the relationship was," he told the outlet. "The caginess, anyway, might have been unnecessary."
The pair has opened up a bit more in the years since, attending red carpet premieres and sharing sweet posts with each other on social media. From their Stranger Things introduction to their Instagram debut, here is a complete breakdown of Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton's relationship.
September 2015: Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton meet on the set of Stranger Things
Dyer and Heaton first met on the set of the hit Netflix show in 2015. When viewers were first introduced to Dyer's character Nancy Wheeler, she was in a bit of a love triangle with Heaton's character, Jonathan Byers, and the lovable Steve Harrington, played by Joe Keery. However, Dyer and Heaton's chemistry was so strong that by the end of the season, fans were rooting for them to end up together, both on and off-screen.
Apparently, the duo had chemistry before they even landed their respective roles. Matt Duffer, cocreator of the show, told GQ in an interview, "That first audition, we did a chemistry read with [Heaton and] Natalia, and sparks were flying."
July 15, 2016: Stranger Things premieres on Netflix, starring Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton
Season 1 of Stranger Things dropped on Netflix on July 15, 2016, and the show's immediate success made Dyer and Heaton, who were 21 and 22 years old at the time, instant household names along with the rest of the cast.
Dyer later opened up about how the show's intense popularity affected the young cast during a 2020 interview with The Independent.
"No one had any idea how successful the show would be," she said. "There was no preparation — there couldn't have been, even if we'd known. It was a surprising and overwhelming shock. Then it was like, 'OK, this is how it is now.' "
September 9, 2016: Natalia Dyer appears on Charlie Heaton's Instagram for the first time
Charlie Heaton Instagram
Just after Netflix confirmed that Stranger Things would be returning for a second season, Heaton posted a picture from a trip to the island of Menorca with his "amigos," including Dyer.
September 14, 2016: Charlie Heaton appears on Natalia Dyer's Instagram for the first time
Natalia Dyer Instagram
A few days after Dyer made her first appearance on Heaton's Instagram, she returned the favor and featured a snap of the actor on her account. Dyer posted a solo shot of Heaton with multiple birds resting on his shoulders with the caption, "Wow congrats @charlie.r.heaton on his new one man show Stranger Wings!! Sure gonna miss you s2 but happy you're doing what you love🙏🐦❤️"
October 29, 2016: Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton dress up together for Halloween
Charlie Heaton Instagram
Along with two friends, Dyer and Heaton dressed as the Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow, respectively, from The Wizard of Oz for Halloween in 2016. Although it was a group costume and they didn't pose directly next to each other, fans enjoyed seeing the on-screen couple spend time together, and immediately began speculating if they were an item.
January 9, 2017: Charlie Heaton and Natalia Dyer are spotted together at LAX
After Dyer and Heaton attended the 2017 Golden Globes with the rest of the Stranger Things cast, the pair was photographed at LAX together while leaving Los Angeles.
December 4, 2017: Charlie Heaton and Natalia Dyer make their red carpet debut
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After almost a year of dating rumors, the pair stepped out on the red carpet together for the first time at the 2017 Fashion Awards in London.
January 13, 2018: Charlie Heaton sends Natalia Dyer birthday love
Charlie Heaton Instagram
Heaton rang in Dyer's 23rd birthday by posting a sweet photo of the actress holding a piece of cake. He captioned the image, "Happy 21st birthday! @nattyiceofficial I hope it's a great one and I'm stoked to be working on this new series with you. I think it's gonna be great. 🎂🎉🥂🙏🏻 P.S - Not feeling too well but I still wanna meet you at piedmont park tonight x."
Dyer later explained to PopSugar that the birthday wish and the caption were an inside joke.
January 21, 2018: Natalia Dyer opens up for the first time about her relationship with Charlie Heaton
"He's alright I guess. He doesn't mess up our scenes too much!" she quipped to US Weekly. "No, he's great. He's talented, like everybody in the cast. They're all super, just great to work with."
January 23, 2018: Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton present an award together
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The couple posed on the red carpet at the 2018 National Television Awards in London, where they later took the stage together to present the Best Drama award.
March 2018: Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton step out together amid rumors of a split
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Despite tabloids reporting that the pair had broken up, Dyer and Heaton looked cozy at a Dior event in L.A. as they posed for photos together.
April 14, 2018: Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton attend Coachella together
Along with Riverdale stars Camila Mendes, Vanessa Morgan and Hart Denton, the pair attended an after-party in Palm Springs during the annual Coachella music festival. Dyer posted a fun video of the group in a photo booth to Instagram.
January 28, 2019: Natalia Dyer brings Charlie Heaton as her date to her movie premiere
Dyer had the support of her boyfriend at the premiere for her movie Velvet Buzzsaw. The couple appeared in matching white floral ensembles on the red carpet for the screening.
February 27, 2019: Charlie Heaton Talks about working with Natalia Dyer
For his cover story interview with V Man, Heaton shared how he and Dyer support each other through career obstacles on and off set.
"Yeah, because there are times when you do get stressed. So to go home with someone you work with, and say, 'I think they hate me ... ' They'll say, 'No they don't.' You can break the walls down with your partner. Because we work in the same industry and have had similar trajectories, we've gone through it together," he said.
Heaton also added that working in the same field helped bring the couple closer. "They understand something that maybe no one else would. You go into high-pressure situations together but you can share those insecurities or whatever they are," he explained.
July 1, 2019: Natalia Dyer talks about working with Charlie Heaton
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While speaking with Refinery29, Dyer said that she prefers to keep her personal life private, but she did give some insight into what it's like working "long days" with her significant other on set.
"It's always really fun. We're really comfortable with each other, so we can play and feel more free, and we can talk about it before," she said. "There's that sense of who knows if you'll ever work together with this person ever again? Who knows? This might be your only chance to play like this."
July 2, 2019: Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton say they confuse their characters' relationship with their own
While promoting the third season of Stranger Things on PEOPLE Now, the couple shared how the lines between their on-screen and off-screen relationships can get confusing.
"We want them to have moments and these things, but I think sometimes we get confused and are like … between our own and the characters," Heaton said.
July 12, 2019: Natalia Dyer shares her first impression of Charlie Heaton
Dyer and Charlie sat down to ask each other a series of questions for Vanity Fair's lie detector test series, which included Dyer spilling her first impressions of the actor.
"You're scared of bugs. You're cool. You're a cool guy. You're a drummer in a band," she shared while laughing.
July 24, 2019: Charlie Heaton and Natalia Dyer enjoy a romantic trip to Italy
Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Charlie Heaton (L) and Natalia Dyer
After walking the red carpet together at the 2019 Giffoni Film Festival in Italy, the couple was spotted looking cozy as they enjoyed Aperol spritzes on a romantic date night.
January 13, 2020: Natalia Dyer celebrates her 25th birthday with Charlie Heaton
Charlie Heaton Instagram
In honor of Dyer's 25th birthday, Heaton posted a snap of the two embracing. He captioned the subtle tribute with a single birthday cake emoji.
January 19, 2020: Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton show PDA on the red carpet
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At the 2020 Screen Actors Guild Awards, the couple held hands in a rare display of public affection while posing for photos on the red carpet.
February 24, 2020: Charlie Heaton open ups about keeping his relationship private
In conversation with GQ, Heaton explained why he and Dyer chose to keep their romance under the radar in the early stages, saying that they were scared to mess up anything after their series had become such a hit.
He also admitted that, in retrospect, "The caginess, anyway, might have been unnecessary."
December 9, 2021: Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton step out for a Dior date night
After laying low for quite some time, the pair was spotted at a Dior after-party in London towards the end of 2021. In photos obtained by the Daily Mail, Dyer and Heaton were pictured leaving the star-studded event together.
May 18, 2022: Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton attend the Madrid premiere of Stranger Things season 4 together
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The couple attended the Madrid premiere for Stranger Things season 4 together and stayed close as they walked the red carpet. Dyer and Heaton were pictured smiling and gazing into each others' eyes as they posed for photos.
