The Bottoms star has leaned into her Irish heritage, giving shout-outs to Cork and Dublin in acceptance speeches after a meme erupted and she was adopted by the proud country.
It seems her love for Ireland may go further than just this meme as she posted a cosy snap with the All of Us Strangers star to celebrate St Paddy’s on her Instagram story.
The pair, both 28, sparked dating rumours as they sat closely together, laughing as Paul’s arm rested on Ayo’s leg and she wrapped her arm around his shoulder.
‘Happy St Paddy’s!’ wrote The Bear actress, who was previously thought to be dating actor and writer Colin Burgess.
Just weeks before meeting Ayo at the Baftas and posing with Andrew Scott in a trio for pictures, Paul had been linked to Florence Pugh, 28.
His dating life has been in the spotlight during the Normal People actor’s rise to fame, partly due to his high-profile relationship with Phoebe Bridgers.
Their two-year relationship is thought to have ended in late 2022 or early 2023 after engagement rumours, with the 29-year-old singer now dating Bo Burnham.
Paul has kept tight-lipped on the split but told Harper’s Bazaar he is uncomfortable with fans’ fascination over his relationships and said: ‘It’s nobody else’s business because it’s indecent.’
‘And it’s unkind,’ he continued. ‘Honest answer, it makes me angry… It’s the entitlement to the information that people expect that just drives me mad.’
While he has been quiet about his relationships, the actor has been keen to share his enthusiasm for co-star and on-screen romantic interest Andrew, 47.
‘To get to share the screen with him, to me, is one of the greatest professional and personal privileges of my life,’ he shared while on Patrick Kielty’s Late Late Show.
‘He’s an extraordinary human being,’ continued Paul as Andrew blushed and told him to ‘shut up’.
Ayo’s celebration of St Patrick’s Day could simply be an indication that she is continuing the meme that she is Irish, which has been embraced by outlets in Ireland and beyond.
The American actress, who has Barbadian and Nigerian heritage, sparked the joke when she claimed she starred in The Banshees of Inisherin as the donkey, Jenny.
‘I lived in Ireland for about four months and I got really in character,’ she joked to Letterboxd in an Irish accent. ‘I was on all fours for four months and it was really painful, but beautiful as well.’
Metro.co.uk has reached out to Paul and Ayo’s reps for comment.
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