How Stranger Things stars Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton fell in love: A 10-year journey in the spotlight

From monster hunts in Hawkins to matching Dior moments, Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton have been playing the very long game. Their love story has been written in chemistry reads, airport sightings, and just enough Instagram breadcrumbs to send fans into a spiral. Their characters might have supposedly broken up in the Season 5 finale, but fans refuse to accept that...after all, what are those stares, and glances?

Nevertheless, their real life love story stays strong, one without demogorgons and intergalactic space aliens.

Here’s the full, timeline of Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton’s relationship, from first audition sparks to Broadway date nights.

September 2015: Sparks fly before Hawkins even does

Dyer and Heaton met on the set of Stranger Things in 2015 after being cast as Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers. For the unversed, Nancy begins the series dating jock Steve Harrington, (Joe Keery) but after her friend Barbara goes missing — shortly after Jonathan’s brother Will disappears — Nancy and Jonathan slowly team up, uncovering the chilling secrets of the Upside Down together.

The chemistry was instant. So instant, in fact, that Stranger Things co-creator Matt Duffer clocked it immediately.

“That first audition, we did a chemistry read with [Heaton and] Natalia, and sparks were flying,” he told GQ.

July 15, 2016: Stranger Things drops — and everything changes

Season 1 premiered on Netflix and promptly became a cultural earthquake. Dyer and Heaton, then just 21 and 22, were launched into overnight fame.

Late 2016–2017: Soft launches, hard fan theories

Once Stranger Things locked in season two, the clues started coming in fast. In September 2016, Heaton posted a vacation snap from Menorca with his “amigos” — Dyer very much included. Days later, she returned the favour with a solo photo of Heaton, birds perched on his shoulders, and a caption that felt like an inside joke and a public wink:

“Wow congrats @charlie.r.heaton on his new one man show Stranger Wings!! Sure gonna miss you s2 but happy you're doing what you love."

After nearly a year of coy appearances and unanswered questions, the duo finally made it official — at least in Hollywood terms — stepping out together on the red carpet at the 2017 Fashion Awards in London.

2018–2019: Public, unbothered, and in sync

In early 2018, Dyer publicly acknowledged the relationship for the first time — with her signature dry humour.

“He's alright I guess. He doesn't mess up our scenes too much!”She quickly followed it up with sincerity, adding,“No, he's great. He's talented, like everybody in the cast. They're all super, just great to work with.”

As breakup rumours swirled through 2018 and 2019, Dyer and Heaton quietly ignored the noise, continuing to step out together — from Dior events in L.A. and Coachella after-parties to the Velvet Buzzsaw premiere, where they even matched in white florals.

Heaton later explained why their bond works in a 2019 V Man interview:

“You can break the walls down with your partner. Because we work in the same industry and have had similar trajectories, we've gone through it together.”

That summer, while promoting Stranger Things season three, the couple admitted the lines between fiction and reality sometimes blur.

“We want them to have moments and these things, but I think sometimes we get confused and are like … between our own and the characters,” Heaton said on PEOPLE Now.

2020–2025: Quiet love, full-circle wins

In 2020, Dyer and Heaton leaned into subtlety. Looking back, Heaton later admitted to GQ, “The caginess, anyway, might have been unnecessary.”

Over the next few years, the couple stayed characteristically low-key, making selective appearances at events like a Dior after-party in London, the Brooklyn Artists Ball, and a rare New York City sighting in December 2023 — just enough to confirm they were still very much together.

That long, quiet arc came full circle on April 22, 2025, when the pair stepped out for the opening night of Stranger Things: The First Shadow on Broadway. Joined by co-stars including Noah Schnapp, Jamie Campbell Bower and Matt Modine, it felt less like a red-carpet moment and more like a well-earned victory lap.

They’re a package deal, just as fans always say — and when Season 5 credits rolled, their sketches were the only ones shown side by side.