Katie Price's huge gesture to JJ Slater as she plans 'magical' Christmas proposal

Katie Price will celebrate her first Christmas as an official couple with her boyfriend John Joe 'JJ' Slater this year - and she's got a huge surprise up her sleeve

Katie Price is gearing up for a festive season to remember with her beau John Joe 'JJ' Slater, according to a source, and she's seriously considering popping the question this Christmas. The 46-year-old former glamour model has had quite the year, marked by legal woes, financial troubles, and the debut of her 'twin' dolls, but it's her continuing romance with MAFS hunk JJ that's really been in the spotlight.

Despite previously scoffing the idea of a Christmas Day proposal as too predictable, a source told OK! magazine she's now all for it, seeing it as the ideal way to sprinkle some holiday magic. "It's their first Christmas together as an official couple and Katie wants it to be really special and magical - to make a really big deal of it," the source claimed.

They added, "She absolutely loves Christmas. It's a really special time for her, especially with the kids. It's also about new horizons and she really wants to do something big to show how happy she is with where she's at in her life - a proposal to JJ would be perfect for that, so she is really considering it."

Katie's 2024 has been jam-packed from the get-go, starting shortly after her split from ex-fiancé Carl Woods following three years of ups and downs. In an early January episode of The Katie Price Show, Katie announced she was single again and triumphantly stated, "The Price is back! ", reports OK!.

Soon after, she was spotted snuggling up with 31-year-old clothing brand mogul JJ, and in February she couldn't help but rave about him "ticking every box", deeming their encounter as destined. A source has dished that Katie's current romance is starkly different from previous ones, and she's committed to holding on to what they have.

Her close friend Kerry Katona has also thrown in her support, expressing she "hopes it works out for them", while her kids - Harvey, 22, Junior, 19, Princess, 17, Jett, 10, and Bunny, nine - seem to have given JJ a warm welcome into the family, as shown by their social media posts. "Obviously, she's been married and engaged before but this is the first time she's really felt more in control in a relationship and by proposing, she'll be firmly in the driving seat," the source claimed.

"JJ is getting the best version of Katie at the moment, she's in the best place she's been in for a long time. Her regular therapy is making huge changes to the way she lives her life and how she feels."

Katie has recently opened up about her tumultuous love life, which includes marriages to Alex Reid, Peter Andre and Kieran Hayler. She confessed that she'd never experienced a "healthy" relationship and was "never in control of relationships" until now.

In a candid chat with BBC presenter Louis Theroux, Katie revealed that she's been undergoing individual therapy and has also attended a relationship course to help her establish healthier boundaries and identify potential "red flags". Now, the source claims, the hard work has paid off and Katie is ready - and content enough - to take the reins in her relationship with JJ.

"She's never had a relationship like this before, it's still quite new for her but there's no doubt she's happy in it," they claimed. "Her family, who have seen her go through so much in the past, know that a Christmas proposal is a big possibility because of the way she's feeling at the moment."

Katie's children - along with her mum and sister - are relieved to see her relationship with JJ going strong, the source adds. However, as fond as they are of JJ, they don't want to see Katie rush down the aisle for the fourth time, only for it to end in heartbreak.

"They like JJ and he seems to make Katie really happy, so they'd support it," a source revealed. "They don't have an issue with JJ per se but they know that she can sometimes get caught up with the romance in the moment. They also know there's nothing they could say that would change her mind anyway. JJ's family can see that he's happy too, but they see there's a bit of an age-gap and they've had very different life experiences, Katie's relationship history doesn't fill them with confidence."

The source continued: "JJ is just a nice guy and he has a good heart. His family do worry that if it were to go the same way as some of her previous relationships, he would be left incredibly hurt. He wears his heart on his sleeve and he does have feelings, and his heart is generally in the right place and of course that makes her family happy."