The scrummy soprano who is 'pre-engaged' to her rugged rugger hero (that's what couples do before committing to a PROPER proposal) 

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Camilla Kerslake says she and Chris Robshaw (pictured together) are on the 'same page' and plan to get married in the near future

As England's redoubtable rugby captain, it's likely Chris Robshaw will be feeling the pressure when he steps out for this afternoon's Six Nations match in Dublin.

But even though the crucial game with Ireland looks set to be the championship decider, the rugged 28-year-old may well see it as blessed relief from the pressure he is under to make an honest woman of Camilla Kerslake, his opera-singing girlfriend of four years.

He hasn't actually proposed. But as Camilla makes clear today, that's no obstacle at all. 'Chris and I are on the same page and we definitely plan to get married in the near future,' the 26-year-old tells The Mail on Sunday in her first interview about her famous boyfriend.

'Some people call it a pre-engagement. It's all about timing – at the moment we're both so busy with work.

'I even had to spend Valentine's Day outside in the cold sandwiched between hordes of angry men as I cheered Chris on during his game.'

'Pre-engagement' is a growing trend, with thousands of couples now choosing 'promise' rings ahead of a formal proposal.

Camilla, though, has her eye on the real thing, and has been spotted scouting engagement rocks at Tiffany.

So far, her hulking 6ft 2in boyfriend has been notably reticent when friends have quizzed him on the subject. But Camilla appears undeterred.

'It's tricky now as I'm currently locked away in the studio recording my third album and Chris is obviously incredibly busy and focused on his rugby and the Six Nations. But he gets back from England camp in April and the Six Nations boys have some time off in May and weekends off in June, so we'll have more time to ourselves then. As soon as things calm down for both of us work-wise, we'll start making plans.'

But she's keen to point out there's no pressure. 'I am not pushing him,' she adds. 'Nor are our mums, but all his friends are teasing him all the time. We've been together for four years and are both each other's serious long-term relationship. I expect that is why everyone is asking, but our futures are definitely together. We both agree on that.'

Four years ago British-born Camilla – who has a Welsh mother and Kiwi father and spent much of her childhood in New Zealand – was riding high with a successful operatic career. Chris asked for her number within two minutes of meeting her at a rugby event where she was singing.

'My manager who was with me said I shouldn't give it to him,' Camilla confesses. 'I said, 'Of course I will. Just look at him, he's gorgeous.' But it took a month before we met.

'At the time he was in England's second team, while I was working on my second album and my career was on a great trajectory. We decided to be monogamous when we started going out.'

England captain Chris Robshaw in action for England during a Six Nations match against Wales

If the first test of their compatibility was tolerating the demands of each other's careers, the next was both more serious and challenging. 'My mother Deborah was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2011, just after my second record came out and I was about to tour the country,' Camilla says. 'It was followed by various complications so I cancelled the tour and all my singing engagements to look after her. I absolutely adore her.

'In 2012 Chris suggested I move in with him as he only lived a mile away from my parents' home in Kingston upon Thames. It meant I could go to look after her easily every day.

'We moved in together before we had been dating for a year, which would have strained lots of relationships but it didn't with us. He is easy to live with and there is no way I would have made it through without him. He was absolutely my rock.'

He was equally supportive when the family finances were in a poor state and Camilla tried to get back to work. 'When my mother was ill my parents' income dropped by half,' she reveals.

Here the couple are pictured at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards in December 2012

'I helped out but I wasn't earning either and in 2012 I was bankrupt in all but name. It wasn't easy. The music industry moves on very fast and agents and people in the business who had been desperately asking me to do various concerts suddenly wouldn't take my calls. It was awful and I also discovered that many of the friends I thought I had were just celebrity hangers-on and were no longer interested in me.'

Despite the lack of a formal proposal, the couple have discussed in detail how they want to live their lives including, she says, the wedding.

'When we first got together Chris told me he wanted children before he was 30,' she recalls. 'He is 29 in June so that might have to change.'

That is also the month her album is out, which should leave them free, she says, to think about wedding plans.

'I don't want a big wedding but Chris is quite keen,' she insists. 'So I think it will be low-key but pretty. I have my hair and make-up done every time I am on stage and wear ball gowns as a uniform, so it is not that important for me to dress up. For me, it is more about family and friends.

'It's every girl's dream to have the perfect white wedding, but I think on her wedding day the bride should wear whatever she wants to make her feel special.'

Refreshingly confident about her own appearance, she continues: 'For some, if that means showing cleavage then so be it – especially if you've got something to show.

'If I do reveal any cleavage in my dress at least they'll be real, not fake like some people assume they are. Whenever I get my boobs out they always seem to spark raging debates about whether they're real or not. I can tell you, they are completely natural.'

Is she worried about female fans trying to steal Chris away? Not at all, she says firmly.

'Obviously he is gorgeous, a complete catch and I am very lucky to have snatched him,' she says, smiling. 'Equally luckily, he is not that type of man. He is kind, generous, humble and believes in loyalty.

'Loyalty is particularly important when you play for England.'