Inside Meryl Streep’s very secret relationship with Martin Short: Friends finally reveal how pair bonded through trauma… incredible measures they take to hide the truth… and why there is ‘no doubt they are in love’

One of Hollywood’s happiest couples is apparently also the most low-profile.

Meryl Streep and Martin Short, both 76, stunned the world when they were first seen canoodling in 2024; fans were feverishly waiting for them to go public and were desperate for details about the A-list lovers.

The playful chemistry of on-screen lovebirds Loretta Durkin and Oliver Putnam in the Hulu series Only Murders in the Building added further fuel to the fire, but yet the two great actors have never officially confirmed their relationship and their reps have repeatedly denied any suggestions of romance.

But theirs was still a flirtation marked by tragedy; Short was shaken by the death of his 42-year-old daughter, Katherine, in February, which brought up painful memories of losing his wife, Nancy Dolman, to cancer in 2010. Above all, there was Streep, a rock during heartbreak who split from her own husband, sculptor Don Gummer, in 2017.

Streep and Short seem so strong and in love that the respected actress is now said to be considering ending her film career so she can enjoy her twilight years together.

‘Meryl has been able to do what she wants for a long time, but she’s doing it even more because she has nothing else to prove,’ an insider told the Daily Mail, adding that the award-winning actress ‘doesn’t need another award or fanfare.’

The couple, who are both 76, are said to have started dating in 2024, but they have never confirmed that they are a couple (they were photographed together at the AFI Awards Luncheon in January 2024)

As she approaches 80, Streep’s main focus is said to be ‘enjoying life and being happy’, and she does this by spending ‘lots of time’ with her boyfriend who ‘makes her laugh all the time’.

‘He has revitalized her life so deeply, he loves the love they share and now he wants to be surrounded by that love at all costs,’ the insider said.

Three-time Oscar winner Streep (she most recently reprized her role as Miranda Priestly in the sequel to The Devil Wears Prada) will continue to ‘gig gigs here and there’ as well as her voice work, but sources say her focus from now on will be Short, whom she affectionately calls ‘Marty’.

The famous private actress, who has three adult daughters and a son from Gummer, whom she married in 1978, announced only in October 2023 that she had secretly separated from her husband six years ago.

Short was married to his late wife, Nancy, from 1980 until her death from ovarian cancer in August 2010. They had three children together.

The actor impressively said in 2019 that Dolman was still ‘always’ with him and their three children, calling their marriage a ‘triumph’ and that he was still ‘always’ in contact with her.

Streep and Short connected while filming the comic-crime series Only Murders in the Building and grew closer “by working together and dealing with life’s challenges, especially after losing her daughter.” [Katherine’s] It’s passing,’ the insider said.

The Hollywood icons were friends for many years before they reportedly connected while filming Only Murders in the Building (it was filmed backstage on Broadway in 2015).

Streep announced in October 2023 that she secretly separated from her husband Don Gummer six years ago.

‘Martin knows full well about the loss,’ the insider added. ‘When he lost Nancy to cancer it was the most life changing thing that ever happened to him, so when his daughter died those same feelings came back and opened some emotional wounds that he never wanted to revisit.’

Katherine died by suicide in February after a long struggle with mental illness.

‘But this time it was Meryl and Steve [Martin, also a co-star] and the other friends are really there for him,” the source continued. ‘Meryl has been a huge force and influence in his life and has definitely served as Martin’s rock.’

It helps their children to like each other and ‘their parents to be happy that they found someone they really like’.

The Oscar-winning actress and the Saturday Night Live alum may be keeping their relationship private, but it’s definitely not top secret. In fact, they held hands at a public promotional event for Only Murders in the Building last August and dined together at Giorgio Baldi’s, a Los Angeles hotspot loved by celebs like Kim Kardashian and Rihanna, in August.

The couple fueled dating rumors, including when they were spotted dining together at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica (pictured)

A second insider claimed he saw them ‘acting like teenagers’ and ‘whispering to each other’ at a dinner at the Chateau Marmont in May, which ‘made it clear they were more than friends’ (pictured leaving)

Streep and Short have been spotted on other dates in recent weeks, including at the Chateau Marmont hotel in Los Angeles earlier this month.

According to a second insider, they were ‘holding hands under the table’ while ‘dining in the garden’.

The famous hotel on Sunset Boulevard has a strictly no-photography policy in place in its garden, which helps celebrity clients feel comfortable.

The second person, who wanted to allow Streep and Short privacy, told the Daily Mail that hotel staff ‘were careful enough to hold up their phone to take a photo.’ If they see this coming, they rush in and stop the person.’

The couple left the hotel separately around 23:00. They were said to be ‘acting like teenagers’ and ‘whispering to each other’, making it ‘clear that they are more than friends’.

‘After the tragedies Martin went through, where so many people close to him died, it was lovely to see him so happy,’ the insider said.

‘What was interesting was that they both denied being in a romantic relationship. But when he saw them inside the Castle there was no doubt they fell in love.’