Dakota Johnson Reveals Why She & Chris Martin Keep Their Relationship Out Of The Public Eye

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Half a decade into their relationship, Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson still “guard their privacy” and hide their love away from prying eyes, according to Britt Hennemuth’s Vanity Fair cover story on the Persuasion actress. One of the reasons for this secrecy is that “theirs is a big, blended family,” with Dakota, 32, being one of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson’s kids (she is one of seven half-siblings) and Chris, 45, raising two children with Gwyneth Paltrow. The other reason for this privacy is Dakota’s upbringing. “Maybe I think about relationships like that differently because I grew up in my family,” she told VF.

“We were all cool [with each other] Obviously, there were times where it was not cool, but I experienced that, so I don’t want that in my life,” she said. “I don’t want any kids to experience anything like that. It’s better to be kind, and it’s also really nice that everybody actually really loves each other and has each other’s backs.”

Since Dakota and Chris began dating in 2017, they “never really left each other,” she told Vanity Fair. She tours with him when she’s not working. In October 2020, during a Coldplay concert, Chris pointed to Dakota in the balcony and said the song “My Universe” was about “my universe. She’s here!”

This isn’t to say they’re reclusive. There have been moments where Chris and Dakota have been seen in public. In May, the two were spotted a few in public: they went for a sushi dinner date in Hollywood on May 26, and days earlier, the two hit up a café for a spot of coffee.

At the end of 2021, Dakota spoke with Elle about her relationship. “We’ve been together for quite a while, and we go out sometimes, but we both work so much that it’s nice to be at home and be cozy and private,” she said. “Most of the partying takes place inside my house.”

“Dakota’s very disciplined,” her Persuasion costar Richard E. Grant, told Vanity Fair. “Considering who her parents are, you project an idea of somebody coming from that amount of privilege. You think that she might be—how do I put this?—that there might be a Paris Hilton element to her character. But there wasn’t. Instead, I think what that background has given her is a great assurance of who she is. I mean, she’s 32, but she has a ‘no-sh-t-Sherlock’ approach. … You don’t mess with Dakota Johnson, and I think that’s incredibly sexy.”