Sam Smith and their boyfriend, British fashion designer Christian Cowan, are engaged and the announcement revealed quietly at one of the loudest events of the year: the Met Gala.
The pair have been dating for three years, starting in early 2023, and while they’ve had their fair share of public appearances, the 2026 Met Gala was where news of their engagement broke, according to Page Six.
While Smith was wearing an outfit custom-made by their (now) fiancé, Cowan’s most important accessory was a massive square yellow diamond ring on that very important finger. So, while we didn’t get a wedding ring reveal from Zoë Kravitz, we did get one from Sam Smith, and we’re equally overjoyed.
Smith hasn’t had a large number of public relationships in the past, so while this engagement is certainly an exciting shock, the fact that the pair have been so open about their love and relationship speaks volumes about their seriousness as a couple.
Sam Smith’s quiet engagement
Smith’s engagement to Cowan took place privately, according to a source at Page Six who overheard the couple discussing their impending nuptials at The Mark Hotel before the Met Gala began.
“From what I understand, it was a private engagement,” the Page Six source revealed. “They are over the moon, and from what I hear, so in love!”
From dating rumours in early 2023 to their red carpet debut at the 2024 Met Gala and multiple other sightings since, the pair haven’t been coy about their love, and thank goodness for that!
After the Met Gala on May 4, Smith posted images of their look, designed by Cowan. In the social post, the singer quotes their partner’s description of the design, and the end of the message says everything you need to know about their relationship.
“I have always loved Erté. I love the way he brought costume art to the world through his visionary illustrations,” they wrote in the post’s caption, quoting Cowan. “The infamous 1920’s opulence and craft. 255,000 individual crystals and beads. 2,000 hours of artisanal hand sewing. This look is a love letter to the king of fashion illustration, and to my love, Sam.”
We love love!
Sam Smith’s dating history
While Smith has been relatively quiet about their relationships in the past, the two most notable and public relationships before Cowan were Jonathan Zeizel from late 2014 to 2015 and Brandon Flynn from 2017 to 2018.
Smith met model and actor Zeizel on the set of their Like I Can music video and the pair had a short but sweet 3 month relationship. However, that doesn’t mean it didn’t make an impact, as it inspired Smith’s early heartbreak songs and led to them receiving four Grammy awards, to which Smith dedicated to their ex in their 2015 Grammy speech. Iconic.
Actor Brandon Flynn and Sam Smith had a slightly longer relationship lasting 9 months from 2017 to 2018. Flynn, known for 13 Reasons Why, was Smith’s first public, high-profile relationship and it was known for being quite affectionate and intense (in all the best ways)!
Frequently spotted together on social media and in public, Smith described their breakup as “raw” and it was reported that it was their “busy schedules” that ultimately ended things for the pair. The downfalls of celebrity life, I guess!
I’m glad Smith was able to find their happy ending after all.
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