Michelle Keegan says Mark Wright is not just her lover but also her "best friend".
The 'Coronation Street' actress says the former 'The Only Way Is Essex' hunk - who she got engaged to last year - is a great boyfriend because they get on so well with each other.
She told Closer magazine: "He is just perfect. He is my best friend - we're like best mates"
The 27-year-old actress and model admitted that despite them being so close, they struggle to find time to spend with each other, but recently treated themselves to a day out.
She revealed: "We've been so busy and haven't had much time so we just spent a whole day together.
"We went shopping in Harrods, then for a nice meal that night and we sat there and realised we had been engaged for a year that day!"
The loved-up couple are set to be even busier for the rest of the year though, as Mark is spending long hours in training for 'Strictly Come Dancing'.
However, despite having less time to spend together, Michelle has said she is thrilled that her beau is taking part in the series.
She said: "I'm such a huge 'Strictly' fan, so to get to watch it live - and to watch Mark - is really exciting."
She added: "Do I think he can win? I think he's got a good chance!"

Sunetra Sarker is struggling to juggle filming 'Casualty' with her 'Strictly Come Dancing' commitments.
The 44-year-old actress has been working on both shows since it was announced that she would be joining Caroline Flack, Scott Mills, Pixie Lott and 'MasterChef' judge Gregg Wallace on the BBC One celebrity dance contest and she's revealed it's a lot tougher than people may think.
Talking to BANG Showbiz, Sunetra revealed: "Learning the medical words is hard enough, but then learning steps to try and keep it in another part of my memory has been hard ... I found it really hard actually ... using a different part of my brain."
After the BBC decided in 2011 to move the 'Casualty' set from Bristol to Cardiff, the actress - who plays Dr Zoe Hanna on the medical drama - admitted that commuting from Wales to her home in Bristol and then to London to film 'Strictly' has taken its toll and even joked about getting a job on 'Casualty's' sister show 'Holby City', which is filmed at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire.
Sunetra shared: "Cardiff, Bristol where I live and London. So there's a lot of trains and planes and driving. Maybe I should go on sabbatical to 'Holby' and then I'll be nearby."

Ricky Gervais has announced plans to make a one-off episode of 'Derek'.
The sitcom has already run for two series and while Gervais admits he considered making a third, he says he ultimately decided to stick to his usual format.
Writing in a blog post, Gervais said: "I did toy with a third series, particularly after the Emmy nod, but I decided to stick to my usual formula of two series and a special."
Gervais made the statement in reference to two of his earlier shows, 'The Office' and 'Extras', both of which had the same format.
As well as writing and starring in 'Derek', Gervais has a number of other projects in the works at the moment, including 'Life on the Road',
the much-anticipated movie that follows the musical exploits of David Brent from 'The Office'.
In a recent interview, Gervais said that he is using his personal experiences of making music to inspire the script.
He told ITV's 'This Morning': "I brought him back briefly for Comic Relief, because people were asking, 'What is he doing now?'
"So it's ten years after 'The Office' and he is currently going up and down the UK selling cleaning products, but he's never let go of that dream of being a popstar!"

Pixie Lott insists there is no rivalry between the 'Strictly Come Dancing' contestants.
The 'Mama Do' hitmaker has confessed that she and her fellow competitors on the BBC One dance contest have been getting on like a house on fire, dismissing rumours there could be cattiness between the female celebrities.
She revealed: "Me and the other Strictly celeb girls have set up our own WhatsApp chat group and we send each other selfies of us in training, as well as just having a gossip.
"It's been really nice."
The 23-year-old beauty - who is dating male model Oliver Cheshire - also revealed she's struck up a particularly close friendship with 'This Morning' reporter Alison Hammond.
Pixie told The Sun newspaper: "I've become good mates with Alison Hammond - she's hilarious, I love her! We've been texting each other. I can't wait to see her when we're back in the studio."
She added: "I knew [The Saturdays singer] Frankie Bridge before, so it's nice to be able to hang out with her, too.
"At the moment all the girls are really supportive of each other - that could change later on."
Meanwhile, Pixie's professional dance partner - Trent Whiddon - has been training her on during her downtime from performing at concerts.
She explained: "At the moment, I'm performing around the country so Trent is travelling with me so we can fit in some training.
"I'm dreading serious dances such as the tango. I'm looking forward to fun dances like the salsa."

Jodie Marsh considered breaking her vow of celibacy during a steamy photo shoot.
The 35-year-old bodybuilder has been celibate for nearly four years now but has confessed that taking part in a raunchy shoot with fitness model Anthony Hill made her question her decision to abstain from having sex.
She explained: "The whole reason anyone trains to be fit, strong and healthy, is ultimately to look sexy, whether they admit it or not - I do!"
The steamy images were taken to promote her sell-out JST Jodie nutritional supplement brand and Jodie admits that while she's waiting for the right man, writhing around with a half-naked model certainly tempted her to break her vow.
She added: "While I'm holding off for the right person, shooting against a pumped, well cut male body was certainly an awesome test and distraction."
Jodie - who won a gold medal at the International Natural Bodybuilding Federation championships with the help of her JST Jodie supplements - previously revealed she thinks she can't find the right man because they're too intimidated by her.
She said: "I'm very single! I would love a boyfriend, I really would.
"I just can't seem to meet anyone. I think men approach me for different reasons and I think the nice, decent, lovely men wouldn't look twice at me and give me a chance."
She added: "I don't know, maybe they're intimidated by me, maybe they don't want to be famous, or maybe they don't want the lifestyle."

'Gogglebox' star George Gilbey could be set to star in his own travel show.
The cheeky chappy - who recently took part in 'Celebrity Big Brother' - has revealed he's had a number of offers for his own television shows since rising to reality TV fame but admits his favourite idea is to introduce his own fly-on-the wall travel series which would see him indulge in quirky cuisines and take part in local customs.
He said: "I've had lots of offers and ideas since leaving 'Celebrity Big Brother'.
"Top is doing a travel show like Karl Pilkington's 'An Idiot Abroad'.
"It's a dream job for me as I've got the travel bug. Put me in any adverse situation and I attract madness."
George - who is an electrician from Clacton in Essex - gave up his place on 'Gogglebox', in which he was seen critiquing television shows with his mum and dad, to take part in CBB.
He told the Daily Star newspaper: "They were very nice about it but they told me that their show is about ordinary people watching telly. It was a risk but I decided to find out what people think of me.
"And as I made the final, I guess people liked what I did."

Idris Elba keeps in contact with his five-month-old son via FaceTime when he is away on movie shoots.
The 'No Good Deed' star admits he hates being apart from his little boy, Winston, and girlfriend Naiyana Garth when he is filming and stays in constant contact with them via the video calling service to make sure he doesn't miss any of their tot's milestones.
He said: "I FaceTime with him. When I call, he sees me and gives me a big old smile. He's so cute."
The 42-year-old heartthrob, who also has a 12-year-old daughter, Isan, with his ex Dormowa Sherman, tried to relax after long days on the set of the thriller but admits it was tough because he spent so much time shooting dark scenes.
He said: "I tried to have fun. I was staying in an apartment that had a pool table in it, so I was always inviting people over."
The London-born star, who plays an escaped convict holding someone hostage in the movie, insists he is nothing like his character in real life and is eager to do a romantic comedy to show his fans a different side of him.
He added to Us Weekly magazine: "I'm not that scary in real life. I want to do a rom-com with Melissa McCarthy. I even told her that at an award show and she said, 'Yeah! Let's do it!' "

'The Great Escape' actor Angus Lennie has died. The 84-year-old star passed away at a nursing home in Acton, west London last night (14.09.14), the Daily Record newspaper reports. The Glasgow-born actor was best known for playing Flying Officer Ive...

Ben Affleck hopes starring in 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' will be "an education".
The 42-year-old actor was a controversial choice to appear as the Caped Crusader in the sequel to 2013's 'Man of Steel', but he is hoping to learn a lot from working on such a huge blockbuster, which he thinks will have an effect on his own directing talents.
Asked what tempted him to accept the role, he said: "To get the exposure to a movie of this scale is an education."
He admitted there is a strategy to taking on the role, with George Clooney's prospects as a director being boosted by his own turn as Batman, and similarly Clint Eastwood played Dirty Harry at Warner Bros. for almost two decades, allowing them to finance his other directorial projects.
Pondering whether the same will prove true for him, Ben added: "I hope it's true. You're always thinking about the momentum you're trying to build in your career.
"There are dual thought processes - on the one hand, you're going, 'What's interesting to me?' On the other hand, you're thinking, 'How do I give myself the opportunity to do these things?'
"And that calculus, I think, consciously or subconsciously, is part of any career thought process."
However, he insisted he is glad to be playing Batman and - having grown up loving movies like 'Midnight Run' and 'Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark' - he doesn't see the summer blockbuster as a step down.
He added to The Sunday Times' Culture magazine: "[They're the] best version of popcorn movies. Being raised in that cinematic environment, I viewed these movies as just as interesting as any.
"I got a little older and sort of developed different taste, but I still like a really good commercial movie as much as I like 'The White Ribbon.' "

Dan Stevens admits it was an "extraordinary" experience working with his "hero" Liam Neeson for 'A Walk Among the Tombstones'.
The 31-year-old actor stars opposite the Hollywood action man in the new crime drama and he was very impressed when watching how Neeson works.
In an interview with Collider.com, Stevens said: "At times, for sure. It's been an amazing year actually just working with a number of my childhood heroes - Liam Neeson, Ben Stiller for 'Night At The Museum, Adam Sandler in 'The Cobbler' and John Travolta in 'Criminal Activities'. Yeah, it is quite extraordinary, but what's really exciting for me is just seeing how these guys work, especially on 'Tombstones...' Liam leads a great set. He takes the work very seriously. He's a total pro, shows up very cool, gets the job done."
Stevens also revealed Neeson, 62, constantly lightened the mood on set with his jokes and stories, which was necessary to counter-balance the gritty plot of the movie, which focuses on Neeson's character, private investigator Matthew Scudder, searching for the kidnapped wife of Stevens' alter-ego, drug-dealer Kenny Kristo.
The former 'Downton Abbey' star added: "I like Liam's way of working. He has a lightness off camera which keeps everyone in the right place. It's a very dark film, and if we were to inhabit that the whole time it could be a lot tougher than it was. He's a great guy to work with."

Samantha Womack is relieved to have landed a comedy role.
The 41-year-old actress - who plays the glamorous mother Tanya in the comedy drama 'Mount Pleasant' - has admitted she was keen to take a break from the gritty scripts of 'EastEnders' and enjoy her part in the light-hearted production.
Samantha - who has starred on the BBC One soap as Ronnie Mitchell since 2007 - admitted she was relieved to pull away from her "dark and twisted" character for a while.
She told The Sun newspaper: "It' such a breath of fresh air playing someone who isn't so dark and twisted!
"That can be really tiring. Mount Pleasant is an absolute gift."
The pretty blonde - who is set to return to the soap in the coming months with a baby bump after fleeing to Spain earlier this year - is also hoping to lighten up her character on her return to Albert Square.
She explained: "Even when I go back to 'EastEnders', I've had the chance to lighten it up a bit.
"I don't know what Ronnie is up to in 'EastEnders' at the minute. I know I murdered someone then I got pregnant. So I've gone to Spain to lick my wounds. But I'm filming there again now and I'll be back on screen before long."

Michelle Keegan thinks Mark Wright can win 'Strictly Come Dancing'.
The former 'Coronation Street' actress is "excited" about watching her fiancé compete on the celebrity dance contest, but admits she also shares his feelings of nervousness.
She said: "When I'm watching him I feel really proud, but because I know he's a little nervous, I then start to get nervous for him.
"I'm such a 'Strictly' fan, so to get to watch it live - and to watch Mark - is really exciting.
"I'll try to watch him every Saturday if I can. Do I think he can win? I think he's got a good chance."
The 27-year-old beauty is completely smitten with the former 'The Only Way is Essex' star and says he is her "best friend" first and foremost.
She told Closer magazine: "Mark doesn;t buy me presents for the sake of it, but he is just perfect. He is my best friend - we're like best mates."
At the start of this month, the couple marked the one-year anniversary of their engagement with a date day in London - but Michelle admits it was an accidental celebration.
She said: "We've been so busy and haven't had much time so we just spent a whole day together. We went shopping in Harrods, then for a nice meal that night and we sat there and realised we had been engaged for a year that day."