Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have been photographed hand-in-hand for the first time since rumours of their romance began.

The superstar musician thrilled fans by making a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live on Saturday (14 October), introducing musical guest Ice Spice ahead of her second performance of the night.

American football star Kelce also made a cameo during the long-running comedy sketch show, popping up in a scene where the cast members mocked how much attention the NFL had given to Swift’s new interest in the game.

Later in the evening, the “Cruel Summer” singer was pictured outside the SNL afterparty with the Kansas City Chiefs player, holding hands as they walked from the building into a vehicle. They were also seen out together at an intimate dinner.

Swift, 33, and Kelce, 34, have been romantically linked since last month, after the singer attended some of his matches alongside his mother.

While the pair are yet to explicitly confirm their relationship, this most recent sighting is the biggest public acknowledgement of their relationship so far. Fans of the pairing have been quick to celebrate this new stage of their apparent romance on social media.

“Taylor and Travis went out on a dinner date, I am unwell,” one excited fan wrote on Twitter/X, alongside footage of them entering a New York City restaurant.

“Didn’t know Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift holding hands would be the hottest part of my 2023 but here we are ohmygod,” added a different fan.

“TAYLOR AND TRAVIS HOLDING HANDS OMG,” begins another message. “The size difference and the grip… I’m gonna be sick, I love them so much.”

“My violently single ass sitting here in the dark liking every single tweet abt Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s hard launch,” wrote someone else.

Kelce had expressed an interest in the Eras Tour artist as early as July this year, when on an episode of his podcast, he admitted that he’d unsuccessfully tried to give her his phone number after attending her concert.

“I was disappointed that she doesn’t talk before or after her shows, because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings,” he explained to his brother Jason on their podcast, New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce. “So I was a little butthurt I didn’t get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for her.”

Earlier this week, Swift attended her third Chiefs game in four weeks, and was seen chatting with Kelce’s father during the match.