Jade Thirlwall and Rizzle Kicks star Jordan Stephens didn’t actually meet in person during their ‘business-like’ first dates.
Brit Awards 2025 nominee Jade has been with her boyfriend, Jordan Stephens - one-half of the British band Rizzle Kicks - for almost five years after they met during the pandemic in May 2020. The former Little Mix star, 32, took matters into her own hands during lockdown and slid into his DMs to let him know she was interested in him.
Her bold move worked, as it seems the attraction was mutual, and the pair struck up a conversation. However, because of the restrictions around socialising during the Coronavirus outbreak, they couldn’t meet up in person, so they had to get creative. Much like many isolated individuals at the time, they made use of the benefits of the digital world and opted for virtual hookups.
Speaking on The Jonathan Ross Show, Jade previously explained: "I met someone in lockdown. We met on Zoom. I slid into the DMs. Then we had some Zoom dates." She also revealed how they decided to get into the spirit of the video conferencing platform that lots of businesses were using at the time for work meetings and catch-ups.
"Jordan and I did a few Zoom dates in lockdown," she added. "We made a joke and said it was business. We put suits and ties on and asked each other questions. I did the full shebang, a full suit. Then we had a socially distanced date in Greenwich Park, apart from each other just chatting."
The loved-up pair were photographed on holiday in Venice, and their relationship was confirmed at the Black Lives Matter march in London in July 2020. They went Instagram official in September of that year and have been together ever since but prefer to keep a low profile when it comes to their personal life, only occasionally sharing pictures on social media.
However, Jade revealed rather intimate details about her 33-year-old man when she was interviewed by Radio 1 DJ Greg James . They were discussing whether her fellow pop star and pumped fitness fanatic Tom Grennan would be in the gym. Greg said he found it "annoying" that shorter men can get "big quite quickly" when working out.
The conversation then turned to Jade’s partner, Jordan. Presenter Greg asked: "Jordan’s quite tall, isn’t he? He’s quite buil,t isn’t he?" Jade was rather more open in her reply than expected: "Yeah, he’s over 6ft. He’s got a lovely physique that one, a lovely bit of kit," she cheekily said.
Jordan with his Rizzle Kicks bandmate Harley Alexander-Sule at the Brits in 2024 (
Redferns)
As producers in the studio burst into laughter at the raunchy confession, presenter Greg joked: "I’m afraid there’s no way we can’t make that into a social media clip. Sorry. We’ve got to give the people what they want. He’s got a fantastic rig, and it needs to be celebrated."
Jordan has previously spoken about his special relationship with Jade and how close they are. According to the Daily Mail he shared his deep feelings for her at Kite Festival: "I have to give a shout out to my current girlfriend. The relationship I’m in now I feel secure and safe. I feel love and I feel connected to a person," he said. "I didn’t have an understanding that I could feel love like this."
Fantasy singer Jade is the first member of Little Mix, who went on hiatus in 2023 to earn recognition for their solo material. She was over the moon to be nominated for the coveted Brit Award Song of the Year for her debut single, Angel of My Dreams, and the fan-voted Best Pop Act. She has enjoyed incredible success since launching her solo career last June when the single secured a top 10 place in the charts.
Talking to presenter Sian Welby during the live Brit Awards nominations broadcast, she discussed how it felt different being nominated as a solo artist. "Well, obviously, as a band, we were nominated a few times, and obviously, that’s amazing," she said. "We won, I think, three Brit Awards over the last 10 years, but when it’s for your own music and from my own personal experiences, it does hit differently; it feels extra special."
