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Producer Benny Blanco has revealed that pop star Selena Gomez used to wait outside his house for 30 minutes in her car before their early dates.
The 37-year-old, who announced his engagement to the “Hands to Myself” artist in December last year, said Gomez didn’t realise his security cameras could see her lurking on his road.
Gomez admitted she wanted to give herself extra time to prepare before greeting Blanco because she was nervous to spend time with him.
The pair were speaking to Jessie Ware and her mother and co-host Lennie on their Table Manners podcast when they made the revelations about their early relationship.
Blanco said: “Selena’s so insane that when we first started going out on dates, she was so obsessed with being on time.
“She used to pull up to my house, minimum 20 minutes early, maybe 30 minutes early, and she would wait outside.
“But she didn’t realise that my cameras could see down the street, and her car would just be parked outside for like 30 minutes, and she would just wait until it was time to come in.”
Gomez explained: “It’s just, I don’t know, I was nervous that I really liked him and I wanted to get there and, like, maybe call a friend to pump me up or do my make-up again or something.”
The couple first met 16 years ago in a meeting organised by the singer’s mother, Mandy Teefey, to work on a song together.
Blanco went on to produce Gomez’s 2015 singles “Same Old Love” and “Kill ‘Em With Kindness” as well as her 2017 collaboration with Cashmere Cat, “Trust Nobody”.
The pair’s relationship didn’t become romantic until the summer of 2023 when Blanco took Gomez to his favourite wine bar for their first outing, which he revealed to Ware he didn’t initially realise was a date.
Elsewhere in the interview, Blanco recalled his first kiss with Gomez, which took place on their second date while they were playing a card game on his sofa.
“There was a thing where it said, ‘Take a selfie with the person next to you,’ and she got right on my chest and took a selfie,” he recalled.
“And then right after, I just looked at her, and I said, ‘I got to kiss this girl,’ and I kissed her right away and her heart started beating so quickly, and she started getting a rash on her face, and she was so nervous.”
Gomez reflected: “I hadn’t liked anyone in a very long time. So some kisses are for fun, and then when you feel something behind a kiss, it’s completely different.
“And I’d been alone for about five years, with the exception of a few s****y dates here and there, but never felt that way, and I was a little embarrassed.”
Blanco proposed to Gomez in December 2024, taking her to what she thought was the set of a promotional video for their new joint album, I Said I Loved You First.
The producer tricked Gomez into coming with him to the “work event” and popped the question with a Taco Bell-sponsored picnic laid out for them.
Gomez first confirmed her relationship with Blanco in December 2023 after months of speculation.
At the time, she had liked a social media post from celebrity news fan account PopFaction, which included the headline “Selena Gomez Seemingly Confirms That She Is in a Relationship”. In the comments, Gomez wrote: “Facts.”
English (US) ·