'Hiddleswift': Actor Tom Hiddleston denies relationship with 'amazing' Taylor Swift was fake

Actor Tom Hiddleston has opened up about his brief relationship with pop star Taylor Swift, denying claims it was a fake union.

The star of The Night Manager and American Swift dated for three months last summer, with their relationship widely publicised.

One particular incident gained particular notoriety, when Hiddleston was pictured wearing a vest top that said "I (heart) T.S".

He told GQ Magazine the shirt was "a joke" and was worn to cover a wound on his back.

Swift, 27, and Hiddleston began dating shortly after her romance with Scottish DJ Calvin Harris ended in June last year.

The 35-year-old said Swift is an "amazing woman", saying: "She's generous and kind and lovely, and we had the best time."

He added: "Of course it was real."

The pair were photographed together several times, including at Swift's star-studded Fourth of July party, during which Hiddleston was seen in the vest top.

The Bafta-nominated actor said: "The truth is, it was the Fourth of July and a public holiday and we were playing a game and I slipped and hurt my back.

"And I wanted to protect the graze from the sun and said, 'Does anyone have a T-shirt?' And one of her friends said, 'I've got this.'

"And we all laughed about it. It was a joke."

Hiddleston said he has to be "so psychologically strong about not letting other people's interpretations about my life affect my life".

"A relationship exists between two people. We will always know what it was," he said.