Ellie Goulding's family finds it 'weird' she looks like boyfriend Dougie Poynter

Pop star Ellie Goulding and her rocker boyfriend Dougie Poynter are often mistaken for siblings because they share similar features and frequently dress alike.

The Love Me Like You Do singer has been dating McBusted bassist Dougie since 2014, and Ellie confesses their relatives initially found their romance a little strange.

"People always say we look like brother and sister," she tells Glamour magazine. "Even our family members say it. It's quite weird."

The 29-year-old admits the couple also shares the same taste in clothes, which doesn't help.

"We dress kind of similar," Ellie laughs. "Dougie's always like, 'We can't both wear this shirt!' But I like it..."

The musicians are often forced to spend time apart due to their busy schedules, but Ellie insists having a boyfriend who understands the demands of life in the spotlight really helps their relationship.

"Relationships have their ups and downs," she explains. "And sometimes, yeah, I want to be left alone. Dougie is respectful of that..."

"He understands when I've had a tough rehearsal or tough couple of days traveling," Ellie continues. "I don't like to rely on him to get me through everything, though. I'm an independent person - I do like to take care of things myself. It's important to figure out ways of keeping your own Zen."

Ellie has previously been romantically linked to Ed Sheeran and Niall Horan, and she recently revealed she will be reuniting with the One Direction star to help write for his future solo project as the boy band is now on a hiatus.

"He's a good friend of mine," she told reporters at the BBC Music Awards in December (15). "It goes without saying that writing a song with someone you are friends with and someone you get on with, you can't really replace that with anything. I write the best songs with someone I feel truly comfortable with. So, definitely I think it will be a laugh."