Max George has recalled how his late The Wanted bandmate Tom Parker gave Maisie Smith the seal of approval before their romance even began.
The 35-year-old singer said Tom, who died in March 2022 aged 33, said his now girlfriend Maisie was “very sweet” on her first night of Strictly Come Dancing.
Max, who was in a relationship with Stacey Giggs at the time, revealed during the 2020 competition that Tom was a fan of 22-year-old Maisie.
Max told New Magazine: “When Maisie was on Strictly on the first night, Tom said: ‘That girl from EastEnders is really cute, isn’t she?’
“I replied, “She’s really nice, mate – she’s wonderful.”
Sweet: Max George has recalled how his late The Wanted bandmate Tom Parker gave Maisie Smith the seal of approval before their romance even began
Bandmates: The 35-year-old singer said Tom, who died in March 2022 aged 33, said his now girlfriend Maisie was “very sweet” on her first night of Strictly Come Dancing
Maisie competed alongside Gorka Marquez in the 18th series of Strictly and reached the final before losing out to Bill Bailey.
Max, meanwhile, was partnered with Dianne Buswell and went out in the fourth week of the competition.
He split from Stacey on August 22. Max and Maisie fell head over heels in love after taking part in the Strictly Come Dancing tour together in 2022.
They have been inseparable ever since and are now building a home together in Manchester.
Maisie appeared on the celebrity edition of The Chase this year, where Max pretended to propose to her.
She has not appeared on television since then and has not announced whether any projects are scheduled to air.
However, in August, she posted a video of herself with the caption, “In person audition…been a while.”
Finalist: Maisie competed alongside Gorka Marquez in series 18 of Strictly and reached the final before losing out to Bill Bailey
Keep dancing: Max, meanwhile, was partnered with Dianne Buswell and went out in the fourth week of the competition
Match: The lovebirds fell head over heels in love after taking part in the Strictly Come Dancing tour together in 2022 and have been inseparable ever since
Shocker: Maisie appeared in the celebrity edition of The Chase this year where Max pretended to propose to her
Knowing that Tom would approve of Maisie means a lot to Max as he was distraught after losing his friend last year.
In October 2020, Tom was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma and doctors gave him just 12 months to live.
In September 2021, 11 months after diagnosis, Tom sang at the Stand Up 2 Cancer show at the Royal Albert Hall and even went on a greatest hits tour with his bandmates when it was confirmed in November that the tumor was “stable” was.
Tom leaves behind his wife Kelsey, 33, and their two children Aurelia, three, and Bodhi, two.
Max George reveals what late bandmate Tom Parker said about his girlfriend Maisie Smith before their romance began