Maisie Smith was stunned when Max Smith ‘proposed’ during Sunday’s episode of The Chase Celebrity Special.
The former EastEnders actress, 21, took part in the ITV game show this weekend with her The Wanted singer boyfriend, 34.
Couple Maisie and Max surprised host Bradley Walsh, 62, when they revealed they were together, with the presenter asking them: So you’ve known each other before this then?,’ to which Max jokingly replied: ‘Yeah we know each other a little bit.’
As Bradley began asking the pair quiz questions, it became apparent they were an item, prompting him to say: ‘I didn’t know that I’m so sorry. Erm, so when’s the big day?’
Taking everyone by surprise, especially Maisie, Max replied: ‘Funny you mention it,’ as he reached into his pocket as if to pull something out.
Surprise! Maisie Smith, 21, was stunned when Max Smith, 34, ‘proposed’ during Sunday’s episode of The Chase Celebrity Special
Stunned: The former EastEnders actress took part in the ITV game show this weekend with her The Wanted singer boyfriend
Maisie was left open-mouthed before she broke down into fits of giggles when she realised Max had not in fact pulled a ring out of his pocket.
It emerged Max and Maisie were secretly dating in August last year after they were seen kissing on a flight.
The news came just days after it was revealed Max had split from his on/off girlfriend Stacey Giggs, 43, who was previously married to footballer Ryan Giggs.
Max and Maisie were said to have grown close on the Strictly Come Dancing live tour, after they both starred on the show in 2020.
It comes after Maisie recently dismissed concerns over her 13-year age gap with boyfriend Max, saying she is a ‘consenting 21-year-old woman’.
The star is head over heels with singer, 34, and told how the couple don’t notice the age difference between them.
Speaking to The Sun on Sunday she said: ‘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!
Big gesture: Taking everyone by surprise, especially Maisie, Max reached into his pocket as if to pull something out, but no ring appeared
Love: It emerged Max and Maisie were secretly dating in August last year after they were seen kissing on a flight
‘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.’
Maisie recalled being a fan of The Wanted when she was a teenager and didn’t hesitate to admit Max was obviously her favourite.
The star has remained defiant in the face of criticism, saying she doesn’t care what anyone else thinks of her relationship.
She said: ‘I think that just puts it into perspective. I really don’t care what I 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.’
The pair have been going from strength to strength and in March this year moved in together.
Maisie left her family home in Essex to join Max at his home in Manchester.
Pop star Max’s proposal joke on The Chase Celebrity Special this week was not the first time he has joked about his life with screen star Maisie.
They faced backlash when Maisie took to Instagram to pose with her hands cradling her stomach during a recent trip to Dubai.
She hid her belly behind a heart emoji, while Max looked down in shock, with his hand over his mouth.
Captioning the snap, Maisie wrote: ‘We’ve got some really exciting news…’
But in the next post, she revealed the couple were only joking, writing: ‘I just had the best five course meal of my life’.
Max shared the same teasing post to his Instagram Stories, while adding the caption: ‘Look at that lovely belly’.
While the pair thought their post was hilarious, many of their fans disagreed as they flocked to Twitter to blast them for being ‘disgusting’ and ‘insensitive’.
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.’
Having her say: It comes after Maisie recently dismissed concerns over her 13-year age gap with boyfriend Max , saying she is a ‘consenting 21-year-old woman’
Controversy: The couple recently faced backlash when Maisie took to Instagram to pose with her hands cradling her stomach during a recent trip to Dubai
Romance: Max and Maisie were said to have grown close on the Strictly Come Dancing live tour, after they both starred on the show in 2020
Others chimed in with, ‘Max George and Maisie smith are so insensitive for that,’ and, ‘maisie smith and max george joking about being pregnant is disgusting. just not something to be joking about.’
However, despite the backlash from their followers, the pair appeared to make light of the situation afterwards.
Taking to Instagram once again, Max shared a photo of the couple sipping on huge milkshakes.
He captioned it: ‘Never. Eating. Again,’ while Maisie re-shared the snap.
