How Taylor Swift secretly jetted 3,500 miles from US to film new music video in Croydon shopping centre

MEGASTAR Taylor Swift flew 3,500 miles from the States to make a blockbuster music video – in CROYDON.

The singer, 35, was on a hush-hush mission to film the festive-themed footage with showbiz pals believed to include singer Lewis Capaldi and actor Domnhall Gleeson.

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Taylor Swift flew 3,500 miles from the States to make a blockbuster music videoCredit: Getty

Taylor was at Croydon’s Whitgift complex for filming

Barriers were seen beside the shopping centreCredit: Click News and Media

And incredibly, she managed to avoid being photographed once during her week-long stay in the UK.

The Sun on Sunday can exclusively reveal that Taylor travelled by private jet from New Jersey to Hampshire last weekend.

She filmed at a handful of secret locations, including the partially-derelict Whitgift shopping centre in the South London borough of Croydon.

It’s thought the video — rumoured to have had a £1million budget — is for the track Opalite, from her latest album The Life Of A Showgirl, which was released in October.

An insider said: “This video was shrouded in secrecy, with Taylor’s security team working day and night to ensure she wasn’t sighted at any point. It was like a military operation.

‘Nostalgic feel’

“But she IS the most powerful woman in pop, so if she wants to go unseen, she’ll make it happen.”

On Monday, crew and extras were seen at the Mildmay Club in Stoke Newington, North London, where Oasis shot an Adidas commercial earlier this year.

An onlooker revealed: “Extras in retro dress were spotted exiting the venue, along with festive props including Christmas trees, glitter cannons and tinsel.

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“Banana milkshake was used for eggnog, while grape juice stood in for posh champagne.”

But on Tuesday, the action moved to Croydon, when half of the Whitgift Centre was hired out for rumoured Christmas shopping scenes.

Giant white screens were thrown up to stop customers sneaking a peak.

An onlooker added: “Security was really tight. Taylor and her cast were given numbers instead of names, and were whisked between cars and buildings under a fortress of umbrellas and screens to keep the whole project under wraps.

“You’ve never seen secrecy like it.

“Some shops were informed of filming, but they were told it was for an insurance commercial — something suitably boring that wouldn’t arouse suspicion.

“The budget was massive, around £1million. Hiring out the shopping centre alone would have cost several hundreds of thousands of pounds, even if it is tired.

“Of course, it was decorated and dressed up to look Christmassy. It has a nostalgic feel, like Love Actually meets a John Lewis advert.”

Taylor was also believed to have shot scenes at a studio in West London and a house in the outskirts of the capital.

My friends don’t rat. They know about my life, they know what’s going on with me, but they do not snitch

Taylor Swift

The footage is now in post-production, with editing set to be finished in the coming weeks so the video can drop before Christmas.

The insider added: “It’s all come together fairly last-minute and a plan was only devised about three weeks ago. Opalite will have a December release and Taylor is on course for a Christmas number one.”

But, you might ask, why would a megastar rumoured to be worth £1.5billion, with a super-glam lifestyle, come all the way to the UK in rainy November to film in a handful of drab locations?

According to whispers on set, Taylor bonded with her fellow guests on The Graham Norton Show last month, when she was in the UK promoting her album launch, and invited them to appear in her next video.

Scots singer Lewis Capaldi and Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson, who were both on the chat show with her, are claimed to have been involved in filming.

She is also thought to have enlisted production firm Merman to create the cinematic music video. It was co-founded by Domhnall’s actress pal Sharon Horgan.

People believed to be extras in Taylor’s shootCredit: Click News and Media

Taylor’s hush-hush in-and-out journey

An on-set source revealed: “It’s a bizarre scenario, but it does explain why Taylor bothered to hire a private jet, at huge expense, all the way to England.

“Of course, the cameo appearances have been kept hush-hush.

“But Domhnall is rumoured to be playing Taylor’s love interest in the video. They are childhood sweethearts who meet again years later.”

Taylor’s song Opalite is believed to be about her fiance, US football player Travis Kelce, whose birthstone is opal.

She has said of the tune: “When we were writing to this really, like, infectious hooky track, opalite is a manmade opal, so I’ve always loved opals, my mom has always loved opals, kind of like our thing, one of our many things.”

Just the sheer number of men  . . .  who have threatened to either kill me, kidnap me, or marry me.

Taylor Swift

Taylor is believed to have wrapped filming on Friday and has already flown home to Tennessee. But she is no stranger to going under the radar in the UK.

Before finding love with Travis, she lived here with her ex, actor Joe Alwyn. The couple, who dated for six years before their split in 2023, kept their relationship private.

Discussing how she maintains such a low profile, Taylor has revealed: “My friends don’t rat.

“They know about my life, they know what’s going on with me, but they do not snitch.”

Taylor with fiance Travis Kelce in JanuaryCredit: Getty

From left to right: Taylor Swift, Cillian Murphy, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith, Domhnall Gleeson and Lewis Capaldi with show host Graham NortonCredit: PA

In her 2020 documentary, Miss Americana, Taylor famously admitted that high-profile celebrity spats and criticism forced her into hiding for a year.

She has been the target of numerous alleged stalkers and has to travel with tight security.

In September, a judge granted the star a five-year restraining order against Brian Jason Wagner, who she alleged repeatedly showed up at her home in LA.

Talking about her security in the past, Taylor has said: “I fought the idea of having security for a very long time, because I really value normalcy. I like to be able to take a drive by myself.

“Haven’t done that in six years. Because just the sheer number of men  . . . who have threatened to either kill me, kidnap me, or marry me.

“This is the strange and sad part of my life that I try not to think about.

“I try to be lighthearted about it because I don’t ever want to be scared.

“And when I have security, I don’t have to be scared.”