JJ Slater has spoken for the first time about his five-month romance with Katie Price, revealing the couple are already talking about marriage.
The British Married At First Sight star, 31, 14 years Katie’s junior, spoke exclusively to MailOnline about his relationship with the 45-year-old mother-of-five, which he says makes him very “happy”.
After Katie reached out to JJ in December to send her best wishes following her diabetes diagnosis, the pair met for a low-key coffee and the attraction between them was instant.
And now JJ, who found fame in the E4 series last year, wishes she had been Katie waiting for him at the end of the altar as he admits to falling head over heels for the former glamor model.
He even confesses to messaging Katie years ago in a bid to strike up a romance, but was ignored until he caught the TV star’s attention while watching the Channel 4 show.
JJ Slater has spoken for the first time about his five-month romance with Katie Price, revealing the couple are already talking about marriage.
The British Married At First Sight star, who is 14 years Katie’s junior, spoke exclusively to MailOnline about his relationship with the mother-of-five, which he says makes him very “happy”.
After Katie reached out to JJ in December to send her well wishes following her diabetes diagnosis, the pair met for a low-key coffee and the attraction between them was instant.
JJ said: “It wasn’t something I was looking for… I had been on Married At First Sight UK, which was a stressful and intense experience, but with Kate and I… it just happened super naturally.
“We met up for coffee and got to know each other as friends, we got on really well as friends and it all developed from there, which was really nice.” There was no pressure, we both just liked each other and liked each other.
‘Kate really reached out when she found out about my diabetes diagnosis and said she was so sorry to hear this and again, that’s how some good has come out of this… it’s Kate. She was being nice, which I appreciated and then it went from there…
“Of course, she’s obviously a very, very attractive lady and I like her, she’s my girlfriend now… but I always thought she was fit.”
Katie has been married three times to singer Peter Andre, 51, with whom she shares children Junior, 18, and Princess, 16, former cage fighter Alex Reid, 48, and personal trainer Kieran Hayler, 37, who is the father of her two youngest children. Jett, 10 years old, and Bunny, nine.
The former Loose Woman is also mother to son Harvey, 21, who has septo-optic dysplasia, which causes blindness and growth hormone deficiency; Prader-Willi syndrome, as well as ADHD and autism, stemming from her previous relationship with footballer Dwight Yorke, 52.
Katie’s romantic life has seen her get engaged eight times, including to ex-partners Warren Furman, Scott Sullivan, Leandro Penna, Kris Boyson and, most recently, former Love Island contestant Carl Woods.
Meanwhile, JJ took part in a TV wedding last year, where he married Bianca Petronzi, before beginning a new romance with Ella Morgan, who was the Channel 4 show’s first transgender bride.
MailOnline’s exclusive photo shows the couple enjoying a holiday in Bulgaria, where they embraced their adventurous side by riding quad bikes.
The couple also went skiing together in February, just months after first connecting over social media and over coffee.
Katie’s first marriage was to singer Peter Andre, with whom she shares children, Junior and Princess (pictured).
But the clothing brand owner’s experience on the reality show – and Katie’s three failed marriages – have not deterred him from settling down with the model and he says they are already planning their future together.
She said: “It would have been ideal on Married At First Sight if I was at the altar and turned around and it was Kate walking down. “It would have saved a lot of time.
‘We’ve said the L word. The thing is, we get along very well and we have a lot of fun together.
“All I really want to do is make sure Kate is happy, support her and be there for her; her being happy means I’m doing something right.”
‘We are both adults and I wouldn’t be with someone if I didn’t see a future with them. So, that’s how I see it… we’re not together to waste each other’s time… we’re adults so of course, I see a future with her.
“As in any normal relationship, you progress when it feels natural and right, and with me and Kate we feel happy, we spend a lot of time together, we go out, we have nice and calm dates like the cinema, food, I have been to a few events, but if “continues as it is…it’s only going to be a great future for us.”
JJ insists he’s not at all concerned about the 14-year age difference between him and Katie and says the only thing that counts is that the couple is on the same page.
He added: “The funny thing is, I had sent Kate a message years before, but she never opened it, and now she found it.”
‘At our age… It’s not even a consideration… age doesn’t matter at all; Age is just a number and when you are older it is not a problem. We’re both on the same page and on the same page and that’s all that matters.’
Katie has been engaged eight times and married three times, but JJ says that isn’t stopping her from settling down with the glamor model.
JJ split from his ex-girlfriend Ella Morgan (pictured) at the end of Married At First Sight and has revealed the pair are no longer on speaking terms.
The couple has faced their fair share of trolls since going public with their relationship in February, with some doubting whether their feelings for each other are true.
But JJ, owner of clothing brand Fully Blessed, says they don’t pay attention to the cynics, explaining: “We’re normal people and we’re trying to get on with life and be happy, it doesn’t feel any different.” I’ve learned not to take everything seriously.’
It’s been over a year since JJ filmed MAFS, where he and his girlfriend Bianca failed to get intimate.
But his attention quickly turned to Ella, whom he valued as a close friend last year, after they ended their romance at the end of the TV experiment.
He has now revealed that while there is no animosity between him and Ella, they are no longer on speaking terms.
He said: “It feels surreal, in a strange way, it feels like MAFS never existed.”
“Time has flown by and when you’re in the experiment, you’re in the bubble and you’re so on top of it and everything feels intense whereas now a year has passed, you’re like, ‘Why did I get carried away? So nervous and stressed? You can’t control how you feel or how you act when you’re in an experiment like that.
‘She and I don’t talk, but there’s nothing wrong… we’ve grown apart and gone our separate ways, but if I saw her at an event, she’d be very friendly… but no, we don’t talk.’