The Truth About Maddie Ziegler And Eddie Benjamin's Relationship

Maddie Ziegler has grown up in front of Dance Moms fans' eyes. The now 18-year-old performer got her start on the TLC reality series when she was just 8 years old in 2011. Not only was Maddie one of the standout performers featured on the show, but she was destined for big things.

In 2014, Maddie's success skyrocketed as she appeared in the music video for Sia's hit single "Chandelier." Maddie would go on to appear in a number of other videos with Sia, providing her other opportunities outside of dance. 

With Maddie's star on the rise, fans have taken interest in her life outside the performing arts too. Earlier this year, Maddie made her relationship with Australian singer-songwriter Eddie Benjamin official. It reminded Maddie's fans she's all grown up. So who is Eddie and what's their relationship all about? Let's dig in.

Maddie and Eddie were first spotted together in late 2019

Maddie was first spotted with Eddie back in December 2019. Just one day after Just Jared Jr. reported the two were seen holding hands and strolling around Beverly Hills, Eddie joined Maddie and sister Kenzie to give back. Along with some other friends, the trio volunteered at My Friend's Place, an organization benefiting homeless youth. Eddie could be seen in a photo from the day shared by Kenzie's then-boyfriend, Isaak Presley.

Things wouldn't become Instagram official until March, when Maddie shared a steamy selfie in bed with Eddie. In the caption, she sent positivity to the world as the pandemic began taking hold of the United States. It was far from the last shot we'd see of the cozy couple quarantining together. In fact, their super-sweet relationship got even cuter when they started fostering a puppy together in April. By May, Maddie made it official and adopted their sweet little dog, named Boots (via Life & Style).

That month, Eddie also discussed his relationship with Maddie in conversation with Sia for Interview Magazine. It was revealed the two had been quarantining in Los Angeles at Sia's compound. He shared that he cried when he got an early peek at Music, the movie Sia wrote and directed starring Maddie.

Eddie isn't Maddie's first love interest from down under

Maddie seems to have a thing for Aussie guys. Her ex-boyfriend, Jack Kelly, was also Australian. He and Maddie dated for nearly two years before splitting up in mid-2018, according to MTV Australia.

The split drew a lot of attention and taught Maddie a thing or two about dating in the spotlight, as she shared with Marie Claire last fall.

"I had a public relationship for two years, and I am never, ever going to make any relationship public as much as I did," she said.

"I learned my lesson."

Maddie's obviously a pretty bright young woman with an equally bright future ahead of her. Judging by her Instagram, she's learning how to strike the balance between work and play, public and personal. To her credit, so are plenty of celebs much older than she is. It will be interesting to see how much of the relationship the Maddie and Eddie continue to share as things get more serious between them.