She still finds joy in the simple things. These days, Lainey Wilson sells out venues all over the world, and in addition to being a household name and one of country music’s biggest stars, her personal life is just as busy, as she’s currently planning a wedding with her fiancé Devlin “Duck” Hodges, whom she got engaged to last February. Duck was a four-year starter at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama before being signed as an undrafted free agent by the Steelers in 2019. He was named the starter during the 2019 season when Mason Rudolph went down with an injury, going 3-3 as a starting quarterback before being waived by the Steelers and signed to the practice squad prior to the 2020 season. They dated for about four years  before getting engaged, and during a party celebrating her radio hit “4X4XU,” Lainey previously shared details about the proposal that happened at the stunning George Jones estate the week after the Super Bowl. Lainey revealed recently that the night they met she was “broke,” and Duck might’ve thought she was doing a little better than she was, and just a few weeks later, she had to have her sister send her some money so she could continue to stay afloat in Nashville and make her dreams a reality: “That was the night we met. I was broke. I was so broke when we met. And he thought I was doing a little bit better than I was. But a few weeks after we met, my sister had to Venmo me a couple hundred bucks.” That was in 2021, and it’s really incredible how much has changed since the years following. Lainey often talks about how supportive Duck is with her career, and they seem like a great match that have already gone through a lot of change together during the course of their relationship with Lainey’s stardom exploding. And in an interview with People for this week’s cover story, ahead of the release of her documentary on Netflix called “Lainey Wilson: Keepin’ Country Cool,” she talked about how she’s learned to find balance being Lainey Wilson the country superstar, and Lainey the “sister, the friend, the daughter, the fiancée,” adding that she makes a ton of effort to stay grounded and not get caught up in awards and accolades. It is very easy to do in her line of work, saying that she can’t “let it define [her]” because that’s when she loses dight of who she is: “I’m not just a singer, songwriter, musician — that’s what I do. Trophies and awards are things that come along with success, but it cannot define me as a person, because that’s when I lose sight of who I am. I got to keep my head screwed on straight.” From the outside looking in, it seems like she’s managed to do that very well, in spite of, being in the entertainment industry. Of course, Duck is a huge part of that, and they were together for two full years before they went public. When they finally made their debut as a couple at in May of 2023 by walking the red carpet together at the ACM Awards, Lainey says she quickly realized that he loves her for who she is, not the musician on stage we all know publicly: “[He] loves Lainey way more than Lainey Wilson. He understands what it means to really work hard for something that you’ve always dreamed about.” I think that’s all anyone could really ask for… the kind of journey she’s had to being a household name isn’t easy, I’m sure it was a huge adjustment for both of them, but the fact that she can confidently say that now, having fully “made it” in every aspect, is a dream come true, I’m sure. And when they’re not on the road, they hang out a lot at their home in Nashville, and Lainey says they keep their date nights very low-key, usually hanging out with their dogs and having an old-fashioned while Duck makes steak. She says: “Being fearless got me here. We’re given one life — and I want to live it.” Lainey’s documentary will be out on Netflix starting on April 22nd, where she will give fans a very intimate look at her life both on and off stage. You can see the trailer below. The post Lainey Wilson Says She Learned A Lot About Her Fiancé When They Went Public: “[He] Loves Lainey Way More Than Lainey Wilson” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.