How Justin Bieber delayed Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco’s engagement news for months

Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco are bathing in love after announcing their engagement – but the adored couple have been celebrating the milestone moment for months.

The former Disney star, 32, broke the news on Instagram on Wednesday, showing off her big rock in a series of sweet snaps with her hubby-to-be.

But Blanco, 36, actually popped the question in August, with the couple deciding not to go public because they feared it would be ‘tied’ to her ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber becoming a first-time father.

“They got engaged in August and Selena didn’t want her engagement to be linked to Bieber in any way,” an insider told DailyMail.com exclusively. “They knew it would.”

Gomez and Bieber dated on and off for years before he met and married Hailey Bieber.

The couple welcomed their first child, son Jack, on August 22.

“Selena knew there would be stories accusing her of getting engaged to take attention away from Justin’s baby, or that people would claim she was doing this to get him,” the insider continued.

Gomez wrote “forever begins now…” as she announced her engagement to her 422 million followers on Wednesday.

She also posted a photo of herself wrapped in Blanco’s arms, flashing the marquise diamond ring to the camera.

Blanco – a famous music producer – apparently popped the question during a romantic picnic with food from Taco Bell.

Rare Beauty founder Gomez also shared a video of the moment she broke the happy news to a loved one.

“I said yes to this,” she says, flashing the stone.

The actress and singer can be seen laughing as the woman on the video call screams and declares: ‘Oh my God, it’s so beautiful.’

The couple received an outpouring of congratulatory messages from their celebrity friends, with Taylor Swift offering to be ‘flower girl’ at the wedding.

Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cardi B also shared their love.

Blanco himself left a cheeky comment referring to Gomez as his ‘wife’.

“hey wait… it’s my wife,” wrote the musician, who received almost 150,000 “likes.”

But Gordon Ramsay’s response proved divisive, with some accusing the British chef of mocking Blanco’s looks and suggesting that Gomez was only with him for his culinary skills.

“Congratulations to you both, it must be the cooking,” he wrote alongside a string of red love hearts.

They first sparked engagement rumors back in August after she shared a selfie with a heart emoji strategically placed over her wedding finger.

Gomez and Blanco had known each other for more than a decade when they started dating in June 2023. They went public that December, with the Wolves singer describing him as her ‘absolute everything’ on Instagram.

Blanco produced her 2015 songs Same Old Love and Kill ‘Em With Kindness, along with her 2017 collaboration with Cashmere Cat, Trust Nobody. They also collaborated on the 2019 single I Can’t Get Enough with J Balvin and Tainy.

In August 2023, she released her track Single Soon, which Blanco produced.

Speaking to Sirius XM while promoting the track, she discussed her non-negotiables for a partner.

“I mean, you gotta be cool, man,” she said. ‘Not cool in the sense that people think you’re cool. You just have to be nice and likeable, make me laugh and also just be good to my family and people around you.’

Last month, Blanco revealed that it was Gomez who made the first move.

“She asked me out,” he explained on Kai Cenat’s Twitch stream. ‘It was crazy, it was crazy. She literally asked me… like we were just talking and then she said, “Do you want dinner?” And I went to dinner and I had no idea’.

Blanco claimed he wasn’t ‘nervous’ because he already knew Gomez on a personal and professional level.

Gomez has dated a number of high profile celebrities including The Weeknd, Nick Jonas, Taylor Lautner, Zayn Malik and The Chainsmokers’ Andrew Taggart.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she said that Blanco has made her feel “safest.”

“This is the safest I’ve ever felt in (a relationship) and I see a future with this person,” she told the paper.

A source told DailyMail.com that Gomez is ready to marry Blanco and start a family.

“Benny is more than a rock for Selena,” they said. ‘He embraces everything about her, doesn’t judge and tries to find the answer to any concerns. She knows he will be the best father because of the way he takes care of her.

‘Selena knows he will be a part of her life forever.’

In September, Gomez revealed that she is unable to carry a child due to her ongoing medical issues, which could put both her life and her unborn child at risk.

She told Vanity Fair that she would be open to surrogacy or adoption.