I can reveal that organisers were struck with an issue after naming Taylor’s chief songwriting collaborator Jack Antonoff – who also encouraged her to get together with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy earlier this year – as one of the men being honoured.
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However, her actor ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, who she split from in April after six years together, was also invited to the awards, held at London’s Royal Opera House.
The clash was only realised once invites had been sent and led to organisers trying to work out how they could keep them apart on the evening to avoid an awkward run-in.
A source said: “Jack and Joe got to know each other pretty well when Joe was dating Taylor because they spent loads of time together.
“Although their separation wasn’t messy, it can’t have been easy for Joe to see her move on so quickly, and it was made known at the time that it was Jack who had encouraged her to give things a whirl with Matty right after the split.
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“Neither were jumping for joy about the idea of seeing each other when they realised they were both attending.
“They both made it clear they would grin and bear it if they did end up bumping into each other, but it was far from ideal.”
Jack, who is the frontman of the band Bleachers and was in the group Fun., first wrote with Taylor in 2013 and has since worked with her on ten albums as a songwriter or producer.
The GQ Men of the Year celebration, in association with Boss has become one of the glitziest nights in the showbiz calendar and there are always plenty of antics on the night.
After the dinner and toasts, guests were to be whisked to a late-night party on the venue’s piazza, featuring a Don Julio 1942 bar and special performances.