Tom Hiddleston on Taylor Swift tank top: 'It was only ever a joke'

Tom Hiddleston has explained he wore his infamous "I heart Taylor Swift" tank top to cover up a graze on his back.

The English actor’s short-lived romance with the singer came as a surprise to fans in June (16), with the pair hooking up not long after her break-up from superstar DJ Calvin Harris.

The relationship fizzled out after only three months, but the pair managed to make their mark on the showbiz world in that time – particularly during Taylor's Fourth of July celebrations when Tom was pictured in the white vest.

"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," Tom told GQ. "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. It was a joke. Among friends."

Tom continued to explain how he is trying to work out a way of having a personal life as a celebrity, and protecting it, but without hiding. But even he was surprised at just how much attention the tank top garnered.

"“I don’t know,” he said. “I just, I was surprised.... The tank top became an emblem of this thing," he sighed.

Fans and critics questioned the overnight romance, with some believing it to be an elaborate stunt or a "showmance" cooked up by the star’s press people in a bid for publicity.

However, Tom maintains the union was genuine and has nothing but kind words for his popstar ex, who’s become known for penning scathing tracks about former flames.

“Taylor is an amazing woman. She’s generous and kind and lovely, and we had the best time,” he sighed before adding: “Of course it was real."

He adds it was struggle to have such a public relationship, and both only ever wanted a regular courtship.

Taylor and Tom split not long after she visited him on the set of Thor: Ragnarok in Australia amid rumors the Shake it Off star didn't like how public Tom was with his affection, though other reports claimed Tom grew tired of her.