Jake Roche has declared himself the "king of romance" following his recent proposal to Little Mix singer Jesy Nelson. The Rixton frontman, who popped the question in July with the help of his friend Ed Sheeran, has opened up about how he orchestrated the elaborate proposal.
"I planned it myself – yeah it was a nerve-racking experience but it was good. I am the self-proclaimed king of romance," he revealed at Rixton's Island Beats show at Thorpe Park on Saturday.
Jake Roche said his proposal to Jesy Nelson was "nerve-racking"
The 22-year-old, who is the son of Coleen Nolan and Shane Richie, got down on one knee on stage at Manchester Arena in July – one year to the day that he first met Jesy. Ed Sheeran made a special effort to help his friend pull off the perfect engagement by performing his track Tenerife Sea while Jake proposed.
While he described the proposal as the "best day of my life," Jake admitted that the couple won't be starting wedding plans just yet due to their busy schedules – Jesy is currently in America with Little Mix, while Jake is currently on tour with his band.
"Not yet, I think we will eventually. As of now Rixton is solely the main purpose to get all the new music down but it's something to think about for the future," he said. "For me it was the next level of commitment, we are away a lot, I won't see her now for a few weeks so yeah we will see what happens."
Jake's friend Ed Sheeran helped with the proposal
Jesy later spoke about the proposal during an interview with Little Mix on Key 103 radio, saying that she couldn't help but cry during the romantic surprise.
"To be honest, it was all a bit of a blur. I thought we'd finished sound check and then lo and behold, old Ed [Sheeran] walks on," she explained. "I had my back turned to him and the girls were like, 'Jess, Jess,' and then I turned around and he sang mine and Jake's song Tenerife Sea. And as soon as he sang that, I just balled."
She continued: "We've spoken about [marriage] but I never thought that it was going to happen, not today! It sounds so strange but it felt like the feeling of when we won The X Factor."