Justin Timberlake worked hard to convince Jessica Biel to go out on their first date, insisting he was "pretty persistent" before she agreed.

The Social Network star, who is engaged to marry the actress, first met Biel in 2007 and immediately wanted to ask her out - but admits he relied on "a fair amount of tenacity" for her to say yes.

He tells Britain's Hello! magazine, "There was nothing starry about the way we got together - it was very un-Hollywoodesque in fact. We met and got talking, afterwards I asked my friend if I could call her and ask her out. My friend called Jessica and Jessica said yes, and so I called her.

"And yes, I did it the old fashioned way - by telephone. That's something I learned from both my stepdad and my grandfather - that there is a thing called chivalry and it doesn't have to die with the birth of the internet.

"I had to be pretty persistent in order to get her to say yes. But I have a fair amount of tenacity and if I want something I stick to it. And in the end she agreed."