BEN Haenow's girlfriend said despite talk of wedding bells she wants to take things one step at a time and hopes to move in with her man in the New Year.
Jessica Jones, Ben's girlfriend of six-and-a-half years, told the Advertiser today there is no pressure on the X Factor winner to pop the question.
The 27-year-old said: "It's quite odd watching everyone ask him about a proposal because I've never put pressure on him. As much as it is lovely to speak about it there is no pressure and it will happen when it happens."
Jess, a dance teacher from Shirley, said Ben, 29, should focus on himself following his X Factor victory on Sunday.
"It's not selfish for him to think about himself and his career, and I'm happy because I am there to support him. I'm never not going to be there," she said.
Jess lives with her mum, Janette, and before moving into the x Factor house Ben lived with his mum, Rosanna. She said the next step for the couple will be to get a place of their own.
"Living together would be so lovely," she said. "But again he's going to be so busy so if that's not something he can actually spend time doing then that might be the case.
"I really do hope that's something we can do next year."
Jess revealed Ben can be romantic and sends texts of song names for her to listen to when the couple are apart.
She said: "We went on holiday to Amsterdam last year and he laid out lots of lovely things like candles and made it a really lovely evening. I can't wait to be able to have some of those moments again."
But Ben has never written a song for Jess that she knows of. She said before X Factor Ben's confidence was dented by the split of his band, Lost Audio, after brother and bandmate Alex developed a condition that affected his hearing and they had to stop gigging.
"It's lovely to not have to be pressed up against the bathroom wall to hear him sing," she said.
"He's sung in front of me and his family more since X Factor purely because of the confidence he has gained."
Jess said the foodie couple's favourite thing to do is go out for dinner and she is looking forward to treating Ben for his 30th birthday in the New Year.
"I'd love to take him out for a meal, just me and him to somewhere like the Shard, because we haven't done that for a long time now," she said. "It will be nice to just do normal things like that."
Ben's family are looking forward to having him home for Christmas next week and Jess said the X Factor has made everyone closer than ever.
"He knows we're all so close and that's helped him, and it has helped us while he's been away," said Jess.
"He's got a unit at home, a support network that will be behind him through the X Factor and beyond," she added.
Jess said she is excited to have a duvet day and a big family meal with Ben.
"There are things we must have missed in Ben's life and he's missed so much from our lives, and we just need to talk, talk, talk!" said Jess.
"We need to let him have a few days of really relaxing and doing what he wants. I want to see him back in the living room with his brother and his guitar, having a jam and doing the normal things he hasn't been able to."
Ben has been praised for being a normal, funny guy throughout the competition, and Jess said she thinks he has a lot more still to give.
"I think Ben's humour is going to come out more and more, that's one of the things I absolutely love about him he's very witty," she said.
"I can't wait for him to get in the studio and start writing again because it's been a while for him. I think once he gets into a studio he's going to wow people because I don't think everyone has seen everything Ben Haenow can do."
The highlight of the X Factor for Jess was Ben's homecoming gig in Croydon on December 9.
"He just rocked it!" said Jess. "He went up on that stage and was in his element. He was gobsmacked by the amount of people that turned out.
"He couldn't believe people were standing out there for all those hours waiting for him to go on stage. He said, "I can't believe it they're out there in the rain and they're all here for me!"
"He's been living in the X Factor bubble and it's been very low key when he's come back before. He's heard of all the support but when you see it like that I think that blew him away."
Jess has spent the two nights since the X Factor final on Sunday with Ben, and she his win still hsan't sunk in.
"When he got through, I mean when he won!" she corrected herself. "It was just disbelief."
"Within two minutes of getting home yesterday Ben was almost asleep. He was feeling poorly from being so tired but all he needed was a bath, a good meal and a good night's sleep."
Jess she spent an hour with Ben and his family on in the VIP area of the X Factor after party on Sunday and has only just recovered from getting one hour of sleep.
"As if winning isn't enough his single is now number one, it couldn't have gone better," said Jess. "Every time I heard the winner's single yesterday me and my mum just burst into tears."
And Jess had a message for the Croydon Advertiser following the paper's Vote for Ben poster front page last week.
"I want to say the biggest, hugest, most massive thank you to the Croydon Advertiser. That paper last week, it was brilliant. Everyone has not stopped talking about. Everyone's saying "have you seen the Croydon advertiser?" and telling me they have their posters up in their windows."
