Moment we just clicked
later I got on that cruise!” So, might we hear wedding bells soon?
Ricky says: “I’m afraid that’s for me to know and everyone else to find out! It has only been six months as well, so we’ll see. But it’s looking positive.”
And Katie adds: “I’ve never thought about a proposal before. It’s not something I’ve dreamed about like other girls. But we are very happy – the happiest I’ve been – and Ricky is very romantic.
“I know he would pull out all the stops.” The couple clearly have a shared outlook on life, generally shunning showbiz parties. “I live a normal life. I love being outdoors, I love peace and quiet,” Katie says.
“People see the glitz and the glamour but that’s just work.”
Getting to enjoy the outdoors together isn’t always simple though. Littleborough-born Katie still lives in Manchester while Ricky lives and works – running his own fishing business, Crowsheath Fishery – in Essex.
“There’s quite a lot of diesel involved!” Katie admits. “We manage to see each other on weekends. Ricky has his own business and I can be pretty flexible with my job. We just make it work.”
But Ricky admits: “We have spoken about moving in together. It’s maybe still a little bit early but it feels as if there is an inevitability about it.”
After all, they met each others’ families early in the relationship. “Ricky was thrown in at the deep end,” says Katie. “He was visiting me in Manchester and I was going to my niece’s sixth birthday party.
“He came along and met the family. It went really well.”
Ricky’s family took to Katie immediately too.
“Katie went for a pedicure and manicure with my mum the other day,” he says. “She’s even been a hit with my two dogs.” Wedding and moving-in talk aside, for now the couple just make the most of their time together.
“I’m happiest outdoors,” says Ricky. “I love camping and going on hikes, and it’s great that I’m now with someone who loves that too.”
In fact, Katie thinks she might have joined the wrong soap, saying: “I should have been in Emmerdale, because I adore the outdoor life.”