Maisie Smith and Max George teased “exciting news” as they shared a photo from their trip to Abu Dhabi which showed the former Eastenders star holding her stomach. But the pair drew criticism over what some people deemed to be a “disgusting” joke.
The couple are currently enjoying some time away after Maisie, 21, gave her final bows on stage in Strictly Ballroom: The Musical, the Manchester Evening News reports. In a snap from the holiday posted to Instagram, The Wanted singer Max, 34, was seen putting his hand to his mouth in apparent astonishment as he looked at Maisie's stomach, which was obscured by a love heart emoji.
The actress, who played Tiffany Butcher in Eastenders, captioned the pic: “We've got some really exciting news,” leading fans to conclude that she was pregnant. But she then posted the same picture, without the love heart emoji, and said: “I just had the best five course meal of my life.”
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On Max's Instagram, the singer expanded on what had happened, sharing a video of a sizzling steak, and writing: “We just ate 10 dinners.” Then, posting the same picture that Maisie had shared, he put: “LOOK AT THAT LOVELY BELLY.”
But some people didn't see the funny side of the pair's joke, claiming it was insensitive to joke about pregnancy when some people are not able to get pregnant or have suffered miscarriages. @hanjmason Tweeted: “Don't think this is something either of you should be joking about tbh. Disgusting.”
@Welchhyyyy wrote: “Glad I’m not the only person that thought this. Posting about fake pregnancies is not something to joke about.” And @steffxrs added: “Pregnancy jokes are not, and never will be funny. You've hurt many people, fans, with those thoughtless stories tonight. People who have lost children. People who cannot conceive for whatever reason. Please do better.”
Maisie has recently ended several months performing in Baz Luhrmann's award-winning global film phenomenon Stricly Ballroom, playing the part of Fran, opposite Strictly Come Dancing pro Kevin Clifton, who stars as Scott Hastings. She has now left the role and handed it over to former Coronation Street star Faye Brookes.
The actor has previously praised her partner Max for how supportive he has been. In an interview with Fabulous, she said: “We’ve pretty much spent the entire relationship on my terms. 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. But 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 went public with their romance in September last year, and have spent a lot of time abroad since then. Before Christmas, they headed on a trip to Lapland, before soaking up some winter sun in Dubai.
They later jetted off to New York to celebrate the start of 2023. “NYE in NYC”, Maisie wrote, as she shared a video of the couple sharing a kiss as 2022 drew to a close. The pair met while competing on Strictly Come Dancing back in 2020, before striking up a relationship last year.
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