Tom Hiddleston: Taylor Swift shirt a joke, but romance 'was real'

The three-month romance between the Thoractor and U.S.pop star Swift became a celebrity media obsession last year,cataloged in paparazzi shots on beaches and at restaurants. Many viewed it with suspicion, questioning whether it was apublicity stunt intended to benefit the public images of bothHiddleston, 36, and Swift, 27.

It ended in September withoutexplanation.

• It's not a publicity stunt': Tom Hiddleston on dating Taylor Swift

"Taylor is an amazing woman," Hiddleston told GQ magazine inan interview for the March issue that was released on Wednesday.

"She's generous and kind and lovely, and we had the besttime. Of course it was real," he said.

'An emblem of this thing'

Hiddleston said he was taken aback by the attention given tothe skimpy white "I (heart) T.S." tank top he was photographedwearing while kissing Swift and frolicking in the ocean at her annual July 4beach party.

The actor said he had hurt his back playing a game andwanted to protect himself from the sun.

"One of her friends said, 'I've got this.' And we alllaughed about it. It was a joke.

"I was surprised. I was just surprised that it got so muchattention. The tank top became an emblem of this thing," he toldGQ.

• Famous friends and falling in love: Taylor Swift knows what you want and gives it to you

Neither Swift nor Hiddleston have said why they broke up,but Hiddleston suggested he had struggled with the mediaattention.

"A relationship always takes work. A relationship in thelimelight takes work. And it's not just the limelight. It'severything else," he said.

The GQ interview was published ahead of Hiddleston's bigbudget action movie Kong: Skull Island,which is due torollout worldwide on March 8.