Former EastEnders star Maisie Smith has opened up about her relationship with The Wanted singer Max George. The couple, who have a 13-year age gap between them, started dating in September 2022.
Maisie is currently appearing in Strictly Ballroom: The Musical and said of her boyfriend: “We’ve pretty much spent the entire relationship on my terms.” Maisie, 21, and Max, 34, met when they both competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2020.
The actress added: “Wherever I am, he’s had to travel to and he’s been so supportive. When I’ve arrived back from a day where I’ve performed twice, he’ll be at the Airbnb, having cleaned it and made me fajitas.” For the latest TV and showbiz news sign up to our newsletter here.
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Continuing her interview with The Sun, Maisie said of the couple's age gap: “If it wasn’t that, it would be something else. People don’t understand what goes on behind closed doors in a relationship, and I think they also forget that I’m a consenting 21-year-old woman who’s actually been working longer than Max!
“I don’t notice the age difference and neither do my friends or family. My mum Julia is the one who reads through all the comments. I got a message from her yesterday, saying: ‘Just ignore them, you two were made for each other.’
"I think that just puts it into perspective. I really don’t care what a random person thinks of my relationship when everyone I do care about is incredibly supportive. I’ve been in the business long enough to know you have to have a thick skin.”
Discussing what's next for her and her boyfriend, Maisie added: “We’re both excited about having some time off together at home in one location without him having to drive hours across the country every week.”
The pair fell for each other after a two-year friendship blossomed into romance. They first noticed that they had feelings for each other after a trip to Portugal last summer.
“We came back head over heels, which was really unexpected,” Maisie said. “I wrote in my Valentine’s card this year ‘from strangers to friends, friends to lovers’, and I love the way that it happened for us. What’s really nice is there was never any intention. We met each other, had a laugh, became best friends, and then two years down the line realised there was so much more.
“I used to go to him for advice all the time and we joke he almost knows too much about my boy history – which he wishes he didn’t! But it does mean that he knows every aspect of me – the best bits and the worst – and he loves me anyway. I think that’s pretty perfect.”
As to whether she sees Max as ‘The One’, Maisie said: “I do. We have so many plans and I see so much of my future with him – stuff I didn’t even know I was capable of seeing. It still feels like the honeymoon stage. I don’t know at what point that ends, but we’re still there.”
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