Dakota Johnson, Chris Martin hold hands on rare date night

Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin
Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin Facebook

Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin were spotted in New York City on Friday night holding hands as they enjoyed a rare date night. The couple is very private about their relationship and the two are hardly seen making public appearances together.

The two stars were at the Place for Peace event, held by Forest Whitaker's Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative where they were photographed together.

The Fifty Shades Darker actress was all smiles as she was next to Martin during the initiative, which featured a dinner and fundraising auction.

Johnson was seen wearing a multi-colored print dress under a black suit jacket, which may have belonged to the Coldplay frontman. Meanwhile, Martin wore a white button-up, black slacks and a tie.

Johnson and Martin first sparked dating rumors after they were spotted enjoying a sushi date in Los Angeles in October 2017. While the two had not confirmed their relationship publicly, a source told People magazine in April that they were "pretty serious."

"Dakota has been filming out of state, but most weekends she comes back to Malibu to spend time with Chris," the source said at the time. "They are very low-key together. They usually have friends over and rarely go out."

Johnson and Martin's rare outing came on the same day as the singer's ex-wife, Gwyneth Paltrow's 47th birthday. Martin and Paltrow were married for 11 years before "consciously uncoupling" in 2014. They have two children together: 15-year-old daughter Apple and 13-year-old son Moses.

Despite their split, Martin and Paltrow remain in good terms. Last month, Johnson and Martin were seen together with Paltrow and her now-husband Brad Falchuk, enjoying a break in the Hamptons.

Talking about the chemistry she still shared with Martin, Paltrow told ET in January 2018: "It's been really a process to get to the point where we can all be together... Luckily, I have a deeply loving ex-husband who's been really open-minded."