Although Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have been packing on the PDA in recent days, a reputation expert believes that this is a deliberate tactic to ‘drown out the controversy.’
Over the weekend, the Gossip Girl alum, 37, was seen planting a kiss on her Deadpool actor husband, 48, as they watched his soccer team Wrexham win promotion.
Then on Sunday, the duo put on a loved up united front as they stepped out for Blake’s Another Simple Favor film premiere in New York City.
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, reputation expert Sarah Schmidt, President of Interdependence, has said that it’s no surprise that the Hollywood couple have stepped up their PDA given Blake’s ongoing legal drama.
In fact, she points out that couples getting close for the cameras is a calculated diversion tactic that has dominated La La Land for decades.
But Sarah has warned that Blake and Ryan’s apparent ‘convenient distraction’ could backfire… if they go too hard with it, that is.
She said: ‘When the headlines get heavy, love becomes a very convenient distraction. Blake and Ryan turning up the PDA right now isn’t random.
‘It’s a classic Hollywood play — drown out the controversy with a love story, get people talking about kisses instead of lawsuits.
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have been packing on the PDA in recent days
The couple put on a loved up front as they stepped out for the Another Simple Favor film premiere on Sunday
‘It’s also a signal to the world that they’re a team, standing strong together even when things get messy.’
But Sarah stressed that this clear PR strategy could blow up in Blake and Ryan’s faces at any second if they’re not careful.
She warned: ‘The thing is, today’s audiences are sharp. If the affection feels real, it can absolutely work.
‘But if it starts looking like a staged performance, it can backfire fast.
‘Right now, it’s giving Blake a little breathing room, but there’s a fine line between sweet and strategic.
‘Too much PDA, and people stop buying the love story and start seeing the spin.’
It has been a tumultuous six months for Blake and Ryan.
Blake is currently locked in a bitter legal battle with her It Ends With Us co-star Jason Baldoni, 41, whom she sued for allegedly sexually harassing her on set.
Blake and Ryan shared loving gazes and looked picture perfect on the carpet as the actress rested her hand on his torso and he the small of her back
Justin denied the claims before firing back with a $400 million defamation suit against Lively, her publicist, and Reynolds, all of whom have denied the allegations.
In recent days though, Blake and Ryan have been ignoring the headlines associated with the lawsuit and instead showcasing their love and affection.
On Saturday, they couldn’t hide their love for each other and shared a sweet kiss as they watched his football team Wrexham AFC win promotion for the third time in three seasons.
Blake was seen jumping into the air when the Welsh team’s goals went in to seal their 3-0 win over Charlton Athletic as she watched from the stand with Ryan and his co-owner, Rob McElhenny.
In another snap, the actress could be seen cuddling her partner in the stands after the win was confirmed, before they took to the pitch to lovingly glare into each other’s eyes while they help up the silver cup.
And after putting on a very animated and PDA-filled display at the game, Blake then shared a celebratory post to her Instagram Stories, in which she gushed over Ryan.
Voicing her congratulations to the team and the Wrexham fans, Blake wrote: ‘Back to back to back. History was made.
‘Congratulations to @wrexham_afc I will never forget the love and elation in that town today. Thank you for sharing it with us always.’
Blake congratulated her husband Ryan Reynolds (pictured) and his football team for ‘making history’ in a sweet Instagram post after Wrexham AFC won a historic third successive promotion to reach the Championship
Ryan also took to his Instagram to share a jubilant post, alongside a slew of photos of himself, Blake and Rob proudly posing with the team, coaches, fans and trophy
Earlier in the day she also shared a gushing tribute to Ryan and Rob McElhenny to celebrate their success
She then addressed Ryan and Rob, writing: ‘And to these two men, @robmcelhenney & @vancityreynolds…the love and respect that pours out of you each and together exponentially grows and creates more joy, more possibilities, more magic, more history.
‘This picture feels to me like a painting of all you do for so many for being so present and appreciative of every moment.’
On Sunday, Ryan accompanied Blake to the New York premiere of her upcoming film, Another Simple Favor, where they once again made sure to show off their devotion for one another.
He appeared every inch the doting spouse as he stood by her side on the red carpet in a grey suit and brown loafers.
Throughout the photo call, they shared loving gazes and looked picture perfect as Blake rested her hand on his torso and he the small of her back.
