“Harry likes that Olivia is so driven and confident and smart,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly. “Her intelligence and independent nature were the first things that drew him to her.”

Styles, 26, and Wilde, 36, made headlines on Monday, January 4, when photos of them holding hands at his manager Jeffrey Azoff’s wedding went viral. An insider subsequently revealed that the singer referred to her as his “girlfriend” in a speech at the nuptials.

The actress is directing the former One Direction member in the upcoming film Don’t Worry Darling. News broke in September 2020 that he replaced Shia LaBeouf in the project.

“Harry and Olivia had chemistry almost instantaneously on set,” a source told Us earlier this month. “It was only a matter of time before they got together.”

The pair were spotted dropping off their belongings at his house on Sunday, January 3. Later that day, they got cozy while out and about for a walk in Santa Barbara, California.

Wilde and Styles put in the effort to keep their romance low-profile in its early stages. “Olivia and Harry were able to keep their relationship under wraps for a bit before it became public knowledge,” an insider revealed. “They were very careful about it and even sleuthy at times, although the small group of people who were on set with them every day eventually figured it out.”

Us confirmed in November 2020 that the O.C. alum and her fiancé, Jason Sudeikis, called off their engagement after seven years. The former couple are parents of son Otis, 6, and daughter Daisy, 4.

The source said that Wilde and the Saturday Night Live alum, 45, were “already done” when she moved on with Styles, adding: “Harry did not break up an engagement.”

Prior to news of their relationship, the Booksmart director defended the crooner after Candace Owens slammed him for posing on the cover of Vogue in a Gucci ball gown. “You’re pathetic,” she replied to the conservative author, 31, via Twitter in November 2020.

Wilde praised Styles in the accompanying cover story, too. “I hope that this brand of confidence as a male that Harry has — truly devoid of any traces of toxic masculinity — is indicative of his generation and therefore the future of the world,” she said. “I think he is in many ways championing that, spearheading that. It’s pretty powerful and kind of extraordinary to see someone in his position redefining what it can mean to be a man with confidence.”

With reporting by Nicholas Hautman

This story originally appeared on: US Magazine - Author:Erin Crabtree