Vanessa Minnillo: Nick Lachey said I love you first

Vanessa Minnillo and Nick Lachey haven’t been on vacation for a while, or if they have they decided not to invite photographers after that pesky hot tub incident, so we haven’t heard much about them. Both have jobs now, which could also explain why they’re not holed up drinking margaritas at some tropical resort. Nick, 34, is hosting the teen reality competition show “High School Musical: Get in The Picture,” which airs on Mondays on ABC. The ratings have been poor and it’s likely the show isn’t going to stick around after this season. Vanessa, 27, has a role in the film Disaster Movie, which is out on Friday. She’s talking about her relationship with Nick in relation to her cheerleader character’s boyfriend, and says that Nick is open emotionally and was the first to say “I love you.”

In Disaster Movie, hitting theaters Friday, Minnillo’s cheerleader character just can’t get her boyfriend to say “I love you.”

“He just can’t drop the L-word,” Minnillo, 27, tells PEOPLE of her character’s commitment-challenged boyfriend. “And what a girl wants more than anything in the world is for their boyfriend to say ‘I love you.’ ”

But, says Minnillo, her real-life beau Nick Lachey, 34, doesn’t have any similar hang-ups: “The L-word is not thrown around by men as easily as it is by women – but I didn’t say it first! He’s very loving. We’re very open and vocal.”

[From People.com]

I remember Nick on that Newlyweds show, and he arranged an incredibly romantic anniversary night for his then-wife Jessica Simpson. They had a private dinner at a NY city restaurant, then retired to a hotel suite decorated with candles and rose petals. It ultimately didn’t last for them, but it seemed like Nick did his best. You would expect him to be the type to say “I love you” first, and he seems like the rare type of guy who is thoughtful and loyal without being sappy about it. Minnillo is lucky to have landed him.

I asked my husband if he remembered who was the first one of us to say the L word when we first got together and he couldn’t remember! I think it was him, but I’m not sure. It really doesn’t matter considering the outcome. Do you remember who was the first to say “I love you” in your relationship? Maybe it depends on how momentous it was at the time, if you both waited a long time for it, and how long you’ve been together.

Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo are shown outside Crown Bar on 7/16/08. Credit: Revolutionpix/Fame Pictures

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