Rita Ora is setting the record straight.
Nearly two years after she was photographed getting close to now husband Taika Waititi and actress Tessa Thompson, the "I Will Never Let You Down" singer, 32, is shutting down rumors that they were in a throuple.
"I just chose to not acknowledge that because it's ridiculous," she said in GQ Hype's latest cover story, released Jan. 23. "I think when some things are so absurd, and it's hard to fathom any sense of it, you just have to ignore it. I've taken that approach for a lot of things, because you don't want to put energy towards something that's nonexistent. It's like trying to explain something that didn't happen means you're feeding into nothing."
And as Rita put it, the May 2021 photos—taken in Australia where Taika, 47, and Tessa, 39, were filming their movie Thor: Love and Thunder—was the product of a night out with friends—nothing more.
"Have you ever been in a situation where you've had a lot of drinks and everyone's your best friend? And then the next day you're like, 'I was talking to this person in the smoking area for four hours and I've got no idea who they are?'" the recording artist continued. "Literally – that [photo] was just a bunch of friends having a good time. They [Taika and Tessa] had a crazy schedule and everyone was letting loose. I love that. Each to their own."
In fact, she said something positive came from the snapshots.
"The good news though, is that when I was on Twitter talking to my fans, all of my incredible LGBTQIA+ fanbases were like, actually – whether this is true or not – I'm so inspired that this is being normalized publicly," Rita noted. "That made me really happy. You don't know who it's touching."
Rita isn't the only one to address the photos. About two weeks after the pictures went viral, Taika revealed whether he was upset by the attention around them.
"Not really," the filmmaker told The Sydney Morning Herald at the time. "I think in the world of the internet, everything goes away pretty quick. And also, 'Is it that big a deal?' No, not really. I was doing nothing wrong. It's fine."
The photos came just one month after Rita and Taika first sparked romance rumors. Fast-forward to today and the two are happily married. As for the moment Rita knew the Oscar winner was the one?
"When I didn't feel a change, like my life just became better," she told GQ Hype. "We were really good friends for six years, and I went to Australia and we both had separate jobs, and we didn't really know that many people out there. It was nice to see a familiar face and our universes just collided. That was it."