DJ Calvin Harris opted to leave out ex-girlfriend and song co-writer Taylor Swift from his acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards.
The “Shake It Off” singer confirmed last month she had penned the lyrics for her ex’s “This Is What You Came For” track with Rihanna, after initially trying to keep her involvement a secret by having it credited to her pseudonym, Nils Sjoberg.
The truth was only revealed after reports suggested a dispute over the the song had led to the end of Swift and 32-year-old Harris’ romance, after the DJ dismissed the idea of teaming up with the singer in the studio during a radio interview on the day of the single’s April (16) release.
The denial is said to have been the “breaking point in the relationship”, and they split in late May.
The promo for the hit song earned Harris a nomination for the Best Male Video prize at the MTV awards, and as he claimed the accolade on Sunday, he made no mention of his co-writer and ex in his thank you notes.
Harris, who sent a pre-recorded message since he is currently on tour in the UK, said, “MTV this is crazy! I need to thank Rihanna from the bottom of my heart. Every time we work together you bring something so magical to the project. So, thank you.”
Harris went on to show gratitude for his “favourite man on earth”, director Emil Nava, as well as “everybody who supported the song”.
He previously took aim at Swift for trying to make him “look bad” after her representative confirmed her involvement in the song, and insisted he wasn’t the one who wanted to keep her contributions a secret, expressing his disappointment in her publicists, who appeared to have spun the story to discredit Harris.