Everything We Know About Maisie Smith & Max George's Relationship Story
From booting him off Strictly to falling in love in Crete, here's everything you need to know about Maisie Smith and Max George's relationship
Here at Hitched, it's not just iconic celebrity weddings we're fans of - we love the cute relationships too - and one of our fave celebrity couples of right now is Max George and Maisie Smith. The Wanted singer and Eastenders actress have been dating since 2022, but their story dates back a few years before then.
The couple met on the set of Strictly Come Dancing, but it wasn't until almost two years later that love started to blossom. All it took was a dance tour, a trip to Portugal and a flight to Crete for the magic to start, and since getting together, the pair haven't looked back since.
While other couples like Jack Whitehall and Roxy Horner are announcing huge relationship news, these two are simply enjoying their honeymoon phase - although we hope there'll be some big news coming from them at some point...
Max George & Maisie Smith: Everything We Know About Max George's Girlfriend
While we wait to here more, we've got a full rundown on everything you need to know about Maisie Smith and Max George, their relationship timeline, and what Maisie has to say about those age gap comments.
Who is Max George?
Max George is a singer, best known for his time in the band The Wanted. He was born in September 1988 and is 34 years old.
He's known for his music career, but it wasn't always singing that dominated Max's career. Max actually started out as a footballer, playing for Preston North End. He was actually on cusp of signing a two-year footballing deal before suffering an injury which brought those plans to a halt.
Deciding to turn his attention to music, Max auditioned for The X Factor in 2005, which was Shayne Ward's winning season. Although he got three yeses, he didn't make it to the live shows.
Max then joined boyband The Avenue who auditioned together in 2006 - they made it to the final 12 but were later disqualified after it became known that the band had been put together for the show and were previously signed to a record label.
Continuing to pursue music, Max then joined The Wanted in 2009, along with Siva Kaneswaran, Nathan Sykes, Jay McGuiness and the late Tom Parker. The band were successful with a number of hits including All Time Low and Glad You Came, but announced a break in 2014. Max then went solo in 2018, releasing two singles in two years.
Max then returned to our screens on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, where he and his pro partner Dianne Buswell were the third to leave the competition after losing in a dance-off between them and fellow contestant Maisie Smith, who would later become Max George's girlfriend.
After the show, Max proceeded to take part in the Strictly Come Dancing Tour, as well as reuniting with his bandmates for a reunion tour, which was then followed by the band's Inside My Head tour which was put together by bandmate Tom Parker to raise awareness about brain tumour cancer, which he later lost his life to in 2022.
Who is Maisie Smith?
Maisie Smith is a British actress who is best known for her role playing Tiffany Butcher on BBC soap Eastenders.
Maisie was born in July 2001 and is 21 years old. She joined the cast of Eastenders in 2008 when she was just 7 years old, and was a much-loved member of the cast until 2014 when she left. However, much to fans excitement, she Maisie re-joined the cast as a full-time member in 2018 after four years away from the big screen, but later left again in 2021.
During her time in Eastenders, Maisie was awarded Best Dramatic Performance from a Young Actor or Actress at The British Soap Awards in 2009 - but Eastenders isn't the only place you'll have seen her face. In 2008, Maisie starred as Elizabeth I in The Other Boleyn Girl.
In September 2020, BBC announced that Maisie Smith would be taking part in series 18 of Strictly Come Dancing, pairing up with fan-favourite pro, Gorka Marquez. Unlike her soon-to-be-boyfriend Max, Maisie stayed in the competition right until the very end and place second alongside Jamie Laing, Hrvy and their pros. It was Bill Bailey and pro partner Oti Mabuse who took the crown on this series.
Maisie was asked to take part in the Strictly tour in 2021, where her and Max eventually became an item, and in May last year, it was announced that Maisie would be making her debut in musical theatre, taking part in Strictly Ballroom: The Musical, playing the role of Fran.
Maisie Smith & Max George's Relationship
Max George and Maisie Smith first became known to each other while competing together on the eighteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing. The couple didn't spend much time together, as Max left the competition in week three - and, fun fact, it was actually Maisie and her partner Gorka who sent him home in a dance off. Clearly, there were no hard feelings.
The couple were later reunited when they were both invited to take part in the Strictly Come Dancing Tour, where they grew closer. In summer 2022, the whole group then jetted off for a Strictly Come Dancing cast holiday to Portugal. It's rumoured that this is when Maisie and Max became an item, but nothing was made official at the time.
After the group trip, Maisie and Max then flew off to Crete for a mini holiday of their own, and were spotted kissing on their flight out there in August 2022.
The pair made things Instagram official when it was announced that Maisie would be taking part in the 2022 leg of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins. Max shared a picture of Maisie to his stories with the caption, "You're my winner already," followed by a red love heart.
It wasn't long after that that Max and Maisie both added each other's names to their Instagram bios, cementing their relationship and commitment to one another.
Maisie Smith & Max George's Age Gap
Since getting together, there's been a lot of controversy about Maisie Smith's age, with fans worrying about how old Max George is - but the pair (and their families!) have hit back plenty of times, assuring the public that age is not a concern for either of them.
Speaking to The Sun about Maisie and Max's age gap, she said, "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.”
The couple have since moved in with each other and have spoken about next steps, with Maisie claiming they have 'so many plans for their future'.
While we wait for more Max and Maisie milestones, why not check out some of our other favourite couples. We have a full relationship rundown of Sam Thompson and Zara McDermott, as well as everything you need to know about Jamie Laing's wedding to Habbs.
