The Bachelor alum Ben Higgins has revealed he and fiancee Jessica Clarke are waiting until marriage to have sex for the first time with each other.
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"Yeah, [we are waiting for marriage]... It's just a respect level," Ben, 31, told Nick Viall on the Wednesday episode of The Viall Files podcast. "And also what the logistics of it is."
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Ben noted how the couple has been living with Jessica's parents amid the coronavirus pandemic and sleeping in separate beds.
Ben and Jess began dating in November 2018 and got engaged on March 27 at Jessica's parents' home in Tennessee, and according to Ben, they haven't slept together yet.
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Ben told Nick he has "definitely" not had sex in the "last year and a half" and they're waiting until they get married -- at least for the time being.
Considering they've been in quarantine and times are very uncertain, Ben and Jessica may have a longer engagement than they initially planned.
Ben therefore reportedly admitted he and his fiancee have considered breaking their rule and making love before their wedding day.
"We both were like, 'Yeah, we could definitely see it.' But what are we giving up to do that?" Ben said, according to Us Weekly.
"At the end of all of this, this is Jess' day. This is our day as a couple, but I want to make sure she has the wedding she's always dreamed of and that she feels celebrated."
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Ben from Colorado and Jessica from Tennessee maintained a long-distance relationship prior to self-isolating with each other.
The pair have been splitting their time between quarantining with Ben's parents and Jessica's parents.
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"I can confidently look her in the eyes and say, 'Hey, we've been stuck in the house together for two weeks and I'm having a blast,'" Ben told Nick.
On Tuesday, Ben's parents even planned a date night for Ben and Jessica by cooking the engaged couple dinner in their at-home restaurant that they called "Benny and the Jess."
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Ben called the night "very special" on Instagram, and Jess added, "It was really sweet."
After getting engaged, Ben took to Instagram last month and gushed, "From my first date in the 8th grade to the moments leading up to me getting down on one knee it all led me to you. I now officially have the most beautiful, kind hearted, supportive, well intentioned person to spend life with. Our adventurous ride through life together is just starting."
Ben anticipates Jessica will be moving to Denver, CO, soon both for their relationship and her work.
After competing for Kaitlyn Bristowe's heart on The Bachelorette's eleventh season, Ben starred on The Bachelor's 20th season in 2016.
Ben got engaged to Lauren Bushnell during the season finale that aired in March of that year, and after starring on a Bachelor spinoff called Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After? on Freeform, they split in May 2017.
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Following his breakup with Lauren, Ben announced he was in a new relationship in January 2018 on his The Ben and Ashley I. Almost Famous Podcast, but he chose not to identify Jessica as the woman in his life right away.
Several weeks later, Ben introduced Jessica -- who was a 24-year-old University of Mississippi graduate reportedly selling LED lighting for a living at the time -- when the cute couple went Instagram official.
Ben previously disclosed he first saw Jessica by stumbling across her Instagram profile when looking for posts about a Nashville hockey game.
Ben acknowledged he was taken with her beauty and decided to direct message her around the time of Thanksgiving 2018.
Jessica reportedly answered Ben's message, and then in December 2018, Ben flew her out to Denver, CO, so they could meet face-to-face.
As for Lauren, she is married to country singer Chris Lane and living in Nashville with him.
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