Athiya Shetty and KL Rahul officially wed: Timeline of their romance from friends to lovers

Bollywood actress Athiya Shetty and cricketer KL Rahul on Monday tied the knot after nearly four years of dating. The couple took their pheras in an intimate wedding ceremony, surrounded by their closest friends and family members. As congratulatory messages and good wishes come pouring in from Bollywood stars and cricket legends, here's a timeline of the couple's romance.

Rumours of Athiya Shetty getting romantically linked to KL Rahul first began in February 2019 when designer Vikram Phadnis hinted at something brewing between the two. "You seem to be v hyper and excited these days ??? Let’s go to KL ??? ….. Kuala Lumpur (sic)." To which, Athiya had responded, "Time to block you!" Reports later stated that the couple met through a mutual friend and were soon smitten by each other.

After keeping fans and the media guessing about their relationship status for months on end, Athiya and KL made their romance Instagram Official as they welcomed the New Year in Thailand with their close friends. However, Athiya only shared photos from the getaway in April 2020. "Feels like a dream ago. (sic)," she captioned the photo.

While they mostly kept their romance under wraps, KL Rahul and Athiya Shetty indulged in some PDA, especially on each others' birthdays. Fans went gaga over how KL called Athiya "My Love" while the actress called the hunk "My Person."

KL Rahul made his first public appearance with Athiya when he joined the actress and the entire Shetty family for the screening of Ahan Shetty's debut film 'Tadap'. The couple confirmed their romance when they arrived at the grand event hand-in-hand and even posed together for photos.

Rumours of a wedding on the cards first began doing the rounds after KL Rahul listed Athiya's name as his 'Partner' while she accompanied him on his Test series against England. Making their relationship 'official', allowed the actress to travel and stay with her beau throughout his tours abroad.

Rumours of an impending wedding were further fuelled when photos of Athiya and KL enjoying some time together with the other Team India players began doing the rounds online. The actress was spotted arm-in-arm with her beau on team dinners, fun tours and relaxing breaks around foreign locations.

News of KL and Athiya's wedding was confirmed after a BCCI source revealed that the cricketer has taken leave from the matches for his wedding in January. "KL informed me a few days back that he will marry Athiya next year. After that, a close family member from the girl's side also told me the same. After the T20 World Cup, the team will go for New Zealand tour and after this, the wedding will take place in Maharashtra," said a BCCI source to ANI.
ETimes broke the exclusive news that the couple will wed on January 23, 2023.

After almost four years of dating, Athiya Shetty and KL Rahul tied the knot on January 23 at dad Suniel Shetty's Khandala farmhouse. The couple took the plunge in an intimate ceremony, in the presence of only close friends and family.