Kristen Stewart Called the Tabloid Attention on Her Relationship with Robert Pattinson "Gross"

Who: Teen actors turned industry darlings, Kristen Stewart, 29, and Robert Pattinson, 33.

How They Met: Stewart and Pattinson met on the set of Twilight, the first movie in the franchise based on the book series of the same name. (You know, the one that involved vampires, werewolves, and brooding teenagers.) Kristen was in a relationship when the two met in 2008, however following her breakup from Michael Angarano in 2009, rumors began to swirl about her and Robert becoming an item. They confirmed their relationship in 2010.

The movies, like the books, became a global phenomenon and launched both actors into the limelight.

RELATED: Kristen Stewart Explained Why She and Robert Pattinson Wouldn't Discuss Their Relationship

Why We Loved Them: Kristen and Rob grew up before our very eyes. The five Twilight films were released between 2008 and 2012, and everyone wanted life to imitate art.

They also looked like a golden Hollywood couple — like a younger, more brooding version of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (if you can imagine anyone getting broodier than Jolie). The press followed both Stewart and Pattinson everywhere they went, whether it was an official red carpet event or a getaway to the Isle of Wight to celebrate New Year's Eve. All those headlines made it feel like we were in that relationship, too.

Oh, and who could forget their adorably awkward chemistry?

When They Peaked: When their lives ran parallel to those vampire flicks, we couldn't get enough — and neither could they. Just this month, Stewart explained that if Pattinson had popped the big question while they were still together, she would have said yes.

"I wanted to … yeah," she said during a recent appearance on Howard Stern's radio show. "I don’t know, I’m not a super-duper traditionalist, but at the same time […] every relationship I’ve ever been in, I thought that was it. I’ve never really been the most casual person."

Pattinson and Stewart later said, however, that their relationship somehow became a commodity. Fans wanted them to be together so badly that Kristen felt they weren't genuinely in love anymore. Instead, the two of them started to feel like fodder for the tabloids.

"It wasn't real life anymore and that was gross to me," Stewart told The New York Times. "It's not that I want to hide who I am or hide anything I’m doing in my life. It’s that I don't want to become a part of a story for entertainment value."

In a 2018 interview with The Sunday Times magazine, Pattinson made similar points about dating in the public eye. "If you let people in, it devalues what love is," he said. "The line between when you’re performing and when you’re not will eventually get washed away and you’ll go completely mad.”

The Breakup: The duo dated until 2013. The news of their breakup broke Twihards' hearts, especially since many fans had followed the couple since the very first Twilight film. Since then, Stewart has said that they never had a chance to have a real relationship, since they worked so hard not to give the press what they wanted.

"So much was taken from us that, in trying to control one aspect, we were just like, 'No, we will never talk about it. Never. Because it’s ours,'" Stewart told Harper’s Bazaar U.K.

Stewart's "momentary indiscretion" with Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders could have had something to do with the breakup, too. The two were photographed "together" in a car in 2012, according to The Independent, leading Kristen to write an uncharacteristically dramatic open letter to Rob.

"This momentary indiscretion has jeopardized the most important thing in my life, the person I love and respect the most, Rob," she wrote. "I love him, I love him, I'm so sorry."

Pattison later told Esquire magazine of the incident, "S—t happens, you know?"

"It’s just young people [...] It’s normal! And honestly, who gives a s—t? The hardest part was talking about it afterward. Because when you talk about other people, it affects them in ways you can’t predict."

RELATED: Robert Pattinson Was Almost Fired from Twilight for This Crazy Reason

Where They Are Now: Both Stewart and Pattinson have moved on and, presumably, grown up. They've been open about their relationship, too, insisting that there's no bad blood. In fact, they're not hesitant to talk about it, even though they're both seeing other people. Pattinson dated singer FKA Twigs following his split from Kristen, and has most recently been linked to model Suki Waterhouse.

The actor is currently promoting his new film, The Lighthouse, for which he is receiving awards buzz (and love from J. Lo). He was also cast as the next Batman.

Stewart exclusively dated women since her break with Rob, even referring to herself as "sooo gay" during her Saturday Night Live monologue.

After Pattinson, Stewart dated singer St. Vincent, model Stella Maxwell, and she is currently seeing screenwriter Dylan Meyer.

The actress has also opened up about how her sexuality affected her career, telling Harper's Bazaar, "I was informed by an old-school mentality, which is — you want to preserve your career and your success and your productivity, and there are people in the world who don't like you, and they don't like that you date girls, and they don't like that you don't identify as a quote-unquote 'lesbian,' but you also don’t identify as a quote-unquote 'heterosexual.'"

Stewart is currently promoting the Charlie's Angels reboot, and her next film, Underwater, will debut in early 2020.