{"id":500845,"date":"2025-10-15T07:02:25","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T07:02:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/500845\/"},"modified":"2025-10-15T07:02:25","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T07:02:25","slug":"the-truth-about-dan-and-phils-secret-relationship-and-exactly-why-they-kept-it-hidden-for-so-long-insiders-reveal-to-molly-clayton-the-sad-fears-that-plagued-the-couple-and-the-ring-of-trust-the","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/500845\/","title":{"rendered":"The truth about Dan and Phil’s secret relationship – and exactly why they kept it hidden for so long: Insiders reveal to MOLLY CLAYTON the sad fears that plagued the couple and the ‘ring of trust’ they relied on"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leaning on one another with huge smiles on their faces, British YouTubers Dan Howell and Phil Lester look just like the happy double act they have always been.<\/p>\n

But these photos, shared exclusively with the Daily Mail, mark a brand new chapter in Dan and Phil\u2019s online story.<\/p>\n

For they are the first pictures of the pair since Monday when, after almost two decades of rumours, denials and endless fan theories, the YouTube<\/a> duo finally confirmed what millions suspected – that they\u2019ve been in a relationship all along.<\/p>\n

In a 46-minute YouTube video titled \u2018Are Dan and Phil in a Relationship?\u2019 which I\u2019m told was the product of months of work, the pair \u2013 who have been roommates and colleagues for over fifteen years \u2013 admitted that their friendship blossomed into romance not long after they met. The revelation sent shockwaves through one of the most devoted fanbases of the digital age.<\/p>\n

For those unfamiliar, Berkshire-born Dan, 34, (formerly known online as danisnotonfire) and Phil, 38, from Lancashire (AmazingPhil) were among the first stars of YouTube, beloved for their awkward and deeply British sense of humour. Both were aspiring internet stars before meeting in 2009 on Twitter<\/a>, when Dan messaged Phil seeking advice on his budding YouTube career.<\/p>\n

There followed a torrent of videos, a joint and highly lucrative YouTube channel with 6 million subscribers, a primetime BBC<\/a> 1 radio show and world tours. In 2010, they moved into a small Manchester apartment after realising they were more successful together than as individuals.<\/p>\n

Though Dan and Phil were inseparable, both maintained an air of mystery surrounding their private lives. The question of whether they were \u2018just friends\u2019 became one of YouTube\u2019s longest-running conspiracies and fans made entire chatroom threads and compilation videos devoted to speculating whether the pair were, in fact, lovers.<\/p>\n

And now it seems they were correct all along. \u2018We fell into it hard and fast in 2009, and here we are almost 16 years later,\u2019 Dan said in the new video, which racked up 1.5million views in just 12 hours. He added: \u2018It was so fast that we never labelled it. We just ended up living together and here we are!\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Leaning <\/p>\n

Leaning on one another, with huge smiles, Dan Howell and Phil Lester look like the perfect, happy couple<\/p>\n

\"Though <\/p>\n

Though Dan and Phil were inseparable, both maintained an air of mystery surrounding their private lives as their YouTube careers grew<\/p>\n

The couple also spoke about the intrusion and speculation from fans into their love lives, which Dan admitted \u2018could have killed me\u2019.<\/p>\n

Still, for their millions of fans, the revelation was a moment of collective catharsis: \u2018This is like a gay independence day,\u2019 one fan commented. \u2018It is bigger news than Taylor Swift getting engaged,\u2019 said another.<\/p>\n

But many wondered how on earth two of the most famous men on the internet managed to keep their relationship a secret all this time.<\/p>\n

I can reveal a carefully curated \u2018ring of trust\u2019 kept their love confidential.<\/p>\n

An insider told me: \u2018It\u2019s been hard on them, knowing who to trust. Out of fear, but they also wouldn\u2019t want to put people in a challenging position by asking them to keep their secret.<\/p>\n

\u2018Now they are able to draw a line under it all and it will be exciting for them to be able to get closer to people and live their lives without any barriers,\u2019 they said.<\/p>\n

\u2018Both Dan and Phil have been fearful of living [as a couple] for quite some time, then to also factor in how they are in a relationship as well, it\u2019s been really hard on them.<\/p>\n

\u2018People have a view that they have been going on dinner dates and holidays and cuddling in public secretly, but actually they have had to learn to have a different kind of relationship,\u2019 my source continued.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The confirmation of their relationship on Monday was a moment of collective catharsis for the pair’s millions of fans<\/p>\n

My source added that the duo are expected to make some big announcements in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

Some have predicted that it will be more content showcasing their relationship, perhaps a rebrand of their merch and most likely some iconic brand deals.<\/p>\n

I am also told they are eyeing up TV shows and would love the opportunity to dance in the Strictly ballroom.<\/p>\n

Many fans, however, have been pointedly asking why it has taken so long for the pair to come out as a couple.<\/p>\n

Dan explained that the secrecy was largely down to the repercussions of his \u2018extremely homophobic childhood\u2019, which meant he had been \u2018deep in the closet\u2019 for years.<\/p>\n

\u2018In my mid 20s I felt we had to hide the relationship because I was still hiding who I was to my friends, family, myself,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

\u2018This is why all of the digging from people online hit a nerve, because Phil was my safe space. You were my first boyfriend… You were a literal ray of light in my life back then.\u2019<\/p>\n

Dan only came clean about his sexuality in 2020, in a YouTube video titled Basically I\u2019m Gay. He said at the time: \u2018Am I totally gay? No.\u2019 But he didn\u2019t elaborate.<\/p>\n

In the same year, he moved into a \u2018forever home\u2019 with Phil that the pair had spent years designing and in 2024, they announced and embarked on a worldwide, sell out tour.<\/p>\n

\u2018Imagine having been on that tour, and the only thing everyone wanted to ask was whether or not they were romantically together,\u2019 one source told me.<\/p>\n

\u2018The relief they must feel now being able to love out loud must be immense.\u2019<\/p>\n

Another said: \u2018A lot of people are saying \u201cwe already knew\u201d. But the video wasn\u2019t just for the fans, it was for Dan and Phil.<\/p>\n

\u2018This is them finally getting to share their relationship on their own terms.<\/p>\n

\u2018The reason for their announcement now is because they felt like they needed to take a stand for the community.<\/p>\n

\u2018This is about making sure there are more safe spaces for those that need it,\u2019 they told me.<\/p>\n

Even so, both Dan and Phil have their own worries about carrying on as normal after the seismic announcement.<\/p>\n

In Monday\u2019s video, Phil said he\u2019s keen to avoid the \u2018dystopian nightmare that is \u201ccouple vlogging\u201d’.<\/p>\n

\u2018You are sharing your life and you are selling the perfect relationship on Instagram. Look at how we kiss. Look at how we vacation in Santorini,\u2019 Dan added.<\/p>\n

\u2018And then when your relationship inevitably goes wrong, not only do you have a personal problem, you\u2019ve destroyed your entire professional life because – congratulations – everybody got invested in the storyline of your relationship.\u2019<\/p>\n

But for now, the pair are simply basking in the joyous relief of finally being openly in love – and looking forward to a long and happy future together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Leaning on one another with huge smiles on their faces, British YouTubers Dan Howell and Phil Lester look…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":500846,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[92,77,813,16,15,1737],"class_list":{"0":"post-500845","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-dailymail","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-tvshowbiz","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom","13":"tag-youtube"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115376904407503166","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/500845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=500845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/500845\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/500846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=500845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=500845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=500845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}