Surely this is every celeb's worst red carpet nightmare

Actors Jenny Slate and Chris Evans have awkwardly called it quits. Photo / Getty

Surely it's every celebrity's worst nightmare.

Picture it: You start working on a film, only to fall madly in love with your co-star. After a brief, public courtship, the relationship ends ... before the film's been released.

You're single again, but you still have a plethora of publicity commitments to get through with your now-ex-lover.

Actors Jenny Slate and Chris Evans. Photo / Getty

That's exactly the situation for co-stars and former couple Chris Evans and Jenny Slate, who started dating when they were both filming the upcoming drama film Gifted together.

After a nine-month courtship, Captain America and his comedian girlfriend called it quits in February this year.

They've both spoken frankly about the split since, with Slate saying in a recent interview that "we're not on bad terms, but we haven't really seen each other, spoken a lot".

"I think it's probably best. I'd love to be his friend one day, but we threw down pretty hard."

(L-R) Actors Jenny Slate, Chris Evans, Mckenna Grace, Octavia Spencer, and Jona Xiao attend the Los Angeles Premiere of Gifted. Photo / Getty

That essential post-split space is going to be harder to come by as the pair now embark on a round of publicity for Gifted, released in cinemas in the US this week.

The pair had their first very public reunion at the LA premiere of the film this week, putting on brave faces and greeting each other warmly as eager snappers photographed their every move and gesture.

Even when they're not being thrust together, the former couple are finding that all anyone wants to talk about in interviews about Gifted is their ill-fated relationship.

They're handling the public interest with grace.

Actors Jenny Slate and Chris Evans arrive at the premiere of Fox Searchlight Pictures' 'Gifted' April 4, 2017. Photo / Getty

"You know, relationships are tricky, there are lot of moving pieces," Evans told USA Today.

"But I am endlessly grateful for having met her. She will be in my life always."