Sophia Hutchins has put the rumor mill around her relationship with Caitlyn Jenner to rest.
Since 2017, tabloids have romantically linked the 23-year-old beauty entrepreneur with 70-year-old Jenner, reported Ben Widdicombe in a profile on Hutchins for The New York Times. In it, Hutchins commented on their relationship for the first time.
"We were never romantically involved," she said, adding that the grapevine grew because they never addressed it. "I don't feel a need to address my sex life, quite frankly, unless I want to."
Hutchins and Jenner sparked attention when reports noted the two certainly spend a lot of time together. The two were spotted vacationing in Australia in early December, according to Jaclyn Roth of In Touch Weekly. And even though they spent Thanksgiving apart this year, they have shared the holiday together in the past, reported Melissa Minton for Page Six. The Mirror even recently called Hutchins Jenner's "fiancé."
But Hutchins told Widdicombe they've "been great friends ever since" a makeup artist they were both working with introduced the two. Hutchins, who the Times notes initially identified as a gay man before transitioning in 2016, hired the make-up artist as part of her post-transition glam squad, Widdicombe wrote.
Hutchins' and Jenner's relationship has been mutually beneficial, according to Widdicombe's reporting: Hutchins became Jenner's manager and moved into her Malibu home, while Jenner helped Hutchins get meetings to develop her upcoming beauty product, Lumasol.
Hutchins was recently called Jenner's "close friend" on the "Coming Out" TV special of UK reality TV show, "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here," that Jenner starred in. The special showed Jenner reuniting with Hutchins after being eliminated, according to Lottie Gibbons for UK newspaper Liverpool Echo.
Fans took to Twitter expressing their confusion by the description, Gibbons reported. One person tweeted, "did ITV really just phrase Caitlyn Jenner's girlfriend as her 'close friend.'"
Jenner's publicist emailed Widdicombe a statement on her relationship with Hutchins, in which she said, "Sophia has been my best friend, family, and confidant...Her value in my life is undeniable."
