Jake Carter has laughed off suggestions he’s a toyboy, saying: “Age is just a number.”
The Liverpudlian singer calls Ireland home and lives with his dancer girlfriend, Dubliner Karen Byrne.
The pair fell head over heels in love on Dancing With The Stars after they won the 2018 series.
Karen, who’s six years his senior, has been inseparable from her man ever since their eyes met on the dancefloor and they took home the Glitterball trophy.
Jake, 23, told the Irish Sunday Mirror he’s always been mature for his age.
He said: “Karen is 29, there’s only six years between us.
“Age is just a number. I’m about 40 in my head, I grew up thinking I was 18 from when I was about 13.
“I was constantly around older ones, pretending to be older than I was.
“At the age of 13 I was flying over to live and stay with Nathan any time I could in Enniskillen, from Liverpool.
“I feel like I’m the same age as Nathan. I was trying to get into pubs and say I was 18, doing stuff I shouldn’t have been doing.
“It made me grow up from such a young age.
“It’s been a big help to me – my own doing I might add – I had to mature quickly.
“I’m only 23 – by the time I’m 30 they’ll be well fed up of me and be like, ‘This fella has been around for years’.”
Jake said he’s proud as punch of Karen on Dancing With The Stars as she regularly answers back to judge Brian Redmond when he gives tough criticism.
Jake proudly said: “She’s great, I think that’s why people love her so much, she’s so honest. She’s not afraid to stand up for herself on the show.
“It’s great to see Karen back on the show and enjoying herself.
“Even though she doesn’t see herself as a TV personality or anything, I think she shines on telly – people love her.
“People like her as she’s the same on-screen and off-screen.
“We’re together three years now but it feels like six years after lockdown.
“[DWTS partner] Nicolas [Roche] is a lovely fella as well, he’s trying his best and improving every week, God love him.” On the judges’ criticism of Karen and Nicolas, he added: “The judges are there to give their own opinions too, not everyone agrees with them and that’s what makes it a great show.
“I honestly think Brian is probably a bit scared of Karen, he’s a big softie really at heart.”
On the RTE show, Jake said: “I tried to take a step back from the show but I can’t, it’s always around me and people are always asking me about it.
“Whenever I’m around I try to give them a hand with the lifts.
“I know how Nicolas is feeling, I’ve been in his shoes, I’m there as much as I can whenever I can help out. The show has always been part of my career and my life, I owe the show
a lot.
“I bumped into Larry Bass last week, I was asking him when are we doing the All Stars series so we can come back and do it all again.
“He said, ‘By the time we get around to doing that Jake, even you’ll be retired’.”
Jake said he’s “not at all” jealous of Karen’s dance partner Nicolas.
He added: “In relationships you have to have that trust and I always do.
“The only thing I’m jealous of is not being able to dance on it to be honest.”
The singer said romance is easy to keep alive as he and Karen don’t have to try. He added: “Before we got together myself and Karen had a great friendship on the show and that always helps.
“When it’s like that you don’t have to keep it alive, that’s the thing we have.
“I don’t find myself having to do stuff, it all just comes naturally.”
At the mention of wedding bells, Jake said: “I don’t think anytime soon to be honest, I have a career to make and I think I’ve a bit more growing up to do.”
Jake added his new single I Just Gotta Take You Home was written in lockdown over Zoom – and is a hit on the airwaves already.
He said: “It was written by myself and my co-writer mate Con McQuaid.
“We are both signed to a publishing house in Dublin, The Nucleus.
“It was originally written towards a Niall Horan brief we were given. He was looking for new music. It didn’t get picked up by Niall so I thought, ‘You know what lads, it was too good to be left in a drawer’.
“It was released to radio last week, it got a good few plays and got a first play on [RTE’s] 2FM which is amazing, it’s such a big achievement for an independent artist I suppose.”
All Jake ever wanted do be was a singer – despite his parents pleading with him to go to university.
He added: “I finished school and did sixth form college, which is like the Leaving Cert over here.
“My mam and dad wanted me to go to university.
“I was clever enough to do it but never wanted to, it was always music I wanted to do. Every weekend I’d do gigs and be back in school on the Monday. Music was always going to be some kind of gateway for me.
“Even though mum and dad wanted me to go to uni, I didn’t do it, but I had the grades if I wanted to go back.”
And Jake sees emerging from the shadow of his brother Nathan as a welcome challenge.
He said: “I’ve had huge positives from being Nathan’s brother, getting to know people and being around the music scene from such a young age.
“I enjoy when people assume I sing country, because then I play them the music and show them what I actually do. I always wanted to take my own path.”
- Jake’s new single I Just Gotta Take You Home is out now.
