Calvin Harris "struggled" with Taylor Swift’s "regimented" life.
The Scottish DJ recently called time on his 15-month romance with the pop superstar and insiders admit the ‘Summer’ hitmaker struggled with the furore that surrounded the ‘Shake it Off’ singer.
A source said: "Taylor is an empire in her own right and, as such, her life is very controlled.
"At the end of the day, Calvin is still a smalltown boy from Dumfries and I think he struggled with living in such regimented conditions where his every move was speculated on."
And Calvin – who cancelled a number of gigs last month after being involved in a car accident – was said to feel increasingly "suffocated" by Taylor’s attention, while she often felt "pushed away" by him.
A source told Britain’s Grazia magazine: "There were a few times when Taylor wanted Calvin’s support and he bailed but she would dismiss her doubts and tell herself it was because he was always so career-focused.
"Then, after his crash, she dropped everything to be with him and was ready to prove her commitment.
"Sadly, the closer she tried to get to Calvin, the more she felt he pushed away. Despite having been together for 15 months, they’d both been crazy busy during that time and spent long periods apart.
"Once it was just them together without any distractions, the cracks showed and Calvin told friends he felt suffocated in their relationship.
"At first it seemed his accident would bring them closer, but it ended up tearing them apart."
Following news of the break-up, 32-year-old Calvin tweeted about the "love and respect" he has for Taylor, 26, and insiders say they intend to keep things as "amicable" as possible.
The source said: "It’s very sad for both of them, but things ended as amicably as was possible, and they’ve both promised not to trash-talk the other. Sometimes it’s just not meant to be."