Zac Efron and Vanessa Valladares were dating long before their relationship was made public.
While the High School Musical star and the Australian model, who recently called it quits, were first photographed holding hands in September 2020, they were actually together "a lot longer than people realize," according to Zac's pal and radio host Kyle Sandilands. In fact, eagle-eyed fans have discovered a comment about Zac on Vanessa's Instagram page from years ago.
In the social media post, originally shared in Dec. 2017, Vanessa can be seen posing in a bikini in Bexhill, New South Wales. And while she limited her Instagram comments to those close to her, there is one comment from March 17, 2018 that reads, "Take care god bless you and zac.xx," which seems to confirm their relationship began years before the world knew about it.
While discussing the aforementioned Instagram comment on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, Kyle shared new details about the timeline of Zac and Vanessa's relationship, noting "it isn't just recent."
"It's been going on for a little while," Kyle told co-host Jackie O. "I don't know exactly how long."
Jackie O also pointed out that Zac was in Australia in December 2017 for The Greatest Showman premiere, which could debunk rumors they recently met in a café.
While many questions remain about the duo's relationship, it appears that they're no longer together. "It's not just The Daily Telegraph. I can also confirm after speaking with him yesterday," Kyle said on his Sydney-based radio program in late April after breakup rumors surfaced. "It's only recent, but not like yesterday recent. But they've gone their separate ways."
He added, "No drama, but it's done."