Max George and Maisie Smith have joked about taking the next big step in their relationship after The Wanted star 'proposed' on ITV's The Chase Celebrity Special.
The Strictly power couple made history after they became the first ever celebrity couple to appear on the show together, however host Bradley Walsh made things awkward for the pair after he confessed he had no idea they were dating.
The television presenter began quizzing the pair before it became increasingly obvious they were an item, prompting him to blurt out: "Erm, so when's the big day?"
Then, the former EastEnders actress was left gobsmacked after boyfriend Max pretended to reach into his pocket and pull out an engagement ring.
The Strictly stars, who have been dating since September 2022, have come under fire in the past for their controversial age gap and 'insensitive' online jokes but appear to be more loved up than ever.
Here we take a closer look at the relationship timeline of Max George and Maisie Smith.
How did they meet?
The loved up couple first met on Strictly Come Dancing in 2020 after Maisie, 21, was partnered up with Kevin Clifton and Max, 34, teamed up with Dianne Buswell.
The pair got to know each other as friends through their time on the BBC show and reportedly grew closer after they were both chosen to perform in the Strictly arena tour earlier this year.
Rumours that the pair had become an item first emerged in the summer of 2022 after the couple jetted out to Portugal with their Strictly co-stars before they flew off to have a romantic getaway of their own.
They were later spotted kissing and cuddling on a flight to Crete in August 2022.
Instagram official
The couple made their relationship public on social media last year after Max posted his online support for Maisie after she debuted on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
In a sweet Instagram story, he shared a picture of his beau and dubbed the actress his 'winner' before adding Maisie's name to his Instagram bio, which she later reciprocated on her account.
The former Eastenders actress was only nineteen-years-old when she appeared on Strictly with the Wanted Star being 32-years-old at the time.
The couple have faced controversy in the past over their 13-year age gap and have publicly defended their relationship on numerous occasions with Maisie saying in an interview with The Sun that 'you have to have a thick skin'.
She added that she doesn't pay much attention to the trolls anymore as a 'consenting 21-year-old woman', adding that her family also supports the relationship. Maisie revealed her mum previously told her: "Just ignore them, you two were made for each other."
Moving in together
The couple took things up a notch when Max surprised Maisie by asking her to move in with him to his Manchester home just months after they made their relationship official.
The singer filmed it all and shared the sweet video on TikTok from holding his spare set of keys in his hands to hiding them in a bag of sweets and then panning the camera over to a beaming Maisie when she found them.
The actress lit up and told Max: "I love you" during the special moment which he uploaded online with Le Vie en Rose playing over the top.
Max captioned the post: "Anyway it was the wrong key and she got locked out. @Maisie Smith".
Maisie's mum, Julia Smith, who acts as her manager, shared an emotional clip of her daughter's big moving day from the family home in Essex on her Instagram account.
She filmed the 21-year-old packing up her things into her sports car with her dog, Albert, in the front seat with the caption: "Good luck in your new home @maisiesmithofficial. Enjoy your new life in Manchester with Albert & Max."
The news did not come as much surprise to the Smith family as Max had reportedly already previously announced he was ready to ask Maisie to move in with him.
'Pregnancy' backlash
The pop star's 'proposal' was not the first public joke the couple have made about their relationship. The duo were slammed online after they uploaded an insensitive image of Maisie cradling her stomach whilst on a trip to Dubai on Instagram with the caption: "We've got some really exciting news...'
Maisie hid her belly with a heart emoji while Max looked down, appearing shocked, with his hand over his mouth. However, in a follow up post she revealed the couple were joking and said: "I just had the best five course meal of my life.''
Max also shared the same controversial post to his Instagram stories, adding: "Look at that lovely belly."
While the pair thought their post was hilarious, many fans disagreed with them and criticised them for their 'disgusting' joke.
One angry person fumed: One wrote, '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.'
The couple responded with Max sharing a photo of the pair sipping on huge milkshakes alongside the caption: 'Never. Eating. Again'.
Future Plans
Although no real engagement has been announced as of yet, Maisie previously told The Sun that she believes Max George is 'the one'. Max also previously told Hello that becoming Maisie's boyfriend 'is the best thing I have ever done'.
You could say the actress is living out her childhood dreams with Max after she previously admitted she used to have a huge crush on The Wanted star in her teenage years and confessed that she used to have a poster of the boyband on her wall.
It seems that the 21-year-old will not be willing to give that up anytime soon after Maisie gushed: “We have so many plans and I see so much of my future with him".
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