Words by: Zayan Ismail

There’s something fascinating about the human condition’s prying eye. You might be having the worst day, religiously single and completely devoid of excitement in your own life, and yet you find the time to scroll through Instagram, TikTok, Twitter (X or whatever you call it these days) to obsess over famous couples from distant lands.

We indulge in their romance, look through what they are wearing, and see if they are engaged, hitched or expecting their next baby. What makes us love, love? Is it pure optimism and our hope for humanity? Or is it as simple as vicariously living through other people’s relationships, to make ourselves feel better?

Like many things in our world today, there is a term for this—celebrity worship syndrome. It is understood that people admire those who are rich and famous in society and want to follow their lives closely. Sometimes, this goes as far as stalking and breaching privacy—à la paparazzi madness with Princess Diana and Britney Spears. I took it upon myself to explore some celebrity couples that fans love to ship:

Rekha & Amitabh Bachchan

Now this is a niche relationship that my own mother still follows to this day. Bollywood superstars Rekha and Amitabh have never actually been together, but after their casting for the film ‘Do Anjaane’, Rekha went on the record to profess her love for Amitabh. Like most Bollywood Dramas (or tragedies), Amitabh of course was married to someone else that I dare not speak of whilst writing about Rekha. Legend has it that she is still single to this day, waiting for her eternal love to come again. Rekha, the legend and icon herself, represents a story of tragedy and triumph for us singles from the South Asian diaspora.

Mary-Kate Olsen & Olivier Sarkozy

Anybody who followed the Olsen twins from a young age know how bizarre this coupling came to be. So, when my childhood fave twin sister Mary-Kate started dating and eventually got married to Olivier Sarkozy,

the half-brother of the former President of France, I had to diligently follow through. I was equally sad and happy for Mary-Kate when she got a divorce in 2021. It seemed like one of those strange affairs, where she really gave herself away for love. We rarely saw any pictures and the few we saw were from social dinners and galas. Whilst that ship has sunk, I thoroughly enjoyed watching my ‘Sweet 16’, ‘So Little Time’ and ‘Two Of A Kind’ star’s taste for men unravel throughout the decade.

Zendaya & Tom Holland

This ship is still very much afloat. It all started with Spiderman, blossomed into a friendship and then the romance began. When my bestie and I (members of the Beyhive) saw videos of them at Beyoncé’s special Birthday Renaissance show, we couldn’t help but smile. From basketball games to vacations, these two seem to be enjoying their lives and making the most of each day. When I see such wholesomeness I can’t help but feel hopeful about my own prospects of find- ing someone that’s genuine and fun to be around.

Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big

Okay hear me out—I don’t care if it’s fictional, but in my eyes and in many others, this ship is strong for life. Through all its toxic and crazy turns, we ultimate- ly followed Carrie and Big for decades. As I often reflect upon their relationship, I think about the many times we have shouted at Carrie for making all the wrong decisions. Big was by no means the down-to- earth sweet guy without an ego. Slowly but surely, it all faded away and the love affair organically came into place. Sometimes your soulmate or perfect match comes through with the abs and flows of life—that ship is strong and it can set sail even in the toughest of seas and in our hearts.

And so this is love. From Rekha & Amitabh to Brangelina — I guess our vicarious desire to obsess over relation- ships never ends. We are always rooting for all things wholesome. After all, who doesn’t love love?