Former Strictly Come Dancing stars Max George and Maisie Smith have given their first joint interview since going public with their romance.
Max and Maisie – who both competed on Strictly in 2020, and went on to take part in the show’s official tour earlier this year – confirmed they were an item in September, after weeks of speculation in the press about their relationship.
Since then, much has been made in the press about the 13-year age gap between the pair, although in a new interview with Hello! magazine, the Wanted singer insisted it’s not something he ever pays attention to.
“It never enters my mind,” he told the magazine. “Maisie has already done so many things that I’m in awe of – I look up to her.”
The EastEnders star agreed: “People ask me: ‘Do you notice [the age gap?’. I never have.
“We’re so like-minded. I’ve got friends in their 30s and 40s. You connect with who you connect with.”
Meanwhile, the couple also opened up about the early days of their romance, which began blooming during the 2022 Strictly tour.
“When I’d speak to my mum, I’d always bring Max up, he was one of my closest friends, but there was never anything more,” Maisie admitted.
Max then added: “ I could feel I was looking at her differently. I thought ‘What’s happening here?’ I was pretty nervous to see if it was reciprocated.”
During their series of Strictly – which was the first to occur during the pandemic – Max was the third celebrity to be eliminated, while Maisie made it all the way to the final, finishing as runner up behind eventual winner Bill Bailey.
The 20th series of Strictly is currently airing on BBC One every weekend, with seven couples now left in the competition.
Read Max and Maisie’s interview in full in the new issue of Hello! magazine.