It was Cris Judd's moment in the spotlight.

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LOS ANGELES -- It was Cris Judd's moment in the spotlight.

How, he was asked by eager reporters at a party thrown by FHM last month, did it feel to be dating the magazine's ''Sexiest Woman in the World''?

''I don't look at it that way,'' he said. ''She's the best. She's great. She's beautiful.''

It was an answer that might make any woman swoon, even Jennifer Lopez.

The media-savvy superstar had her own snappy rejoinder. ''He's not fazed by any of this,'' she said. ''We'd rather be home in bed.''

That may be, but Lopez and the guy who replaced Sean Combs have been out and about since the Academy Awards, and lately they've been starring in the tabloids, which have breathlessly reported their engagement and printed unsubstantiated rumors that she's pregnant. (Lopez hasn't confirmed she's altar-bound, but she sported a diamond engagement ring on that certain finger during Memorial Day weekend, when she was spotted ducking into Rafinity, a Santa Monica jewelry store.)

But other than Judd's almost starstruck description of Lopez, we've heard little from the man who may soon wed one of the world's most famous women.

What's Cris Judd got that Puffy doesn't?

A lower profile, for one thing. And people who know Judd, both as a friend and as a professional dancer, have only good things to say about him.

Lopez, the singer/actress whose split with rap mogul Combs was made public on Valentine's Day, has hinted at the attraction in remarks reported in the New York tabloids. She reportedly characterized life with Combs as ''crazy and unpredictable,'' as opposed to ''stable and calm'' with Judd.

''He's not anything like Puffy,'' says William Milsten, a friend from college. ''He's nice and friendly and loves everybody. If she was looking for a good person, she found him. I told him that she's lucky, because he's a real nice person.''

The diva and the dancer met late last year when they worked together on her Love Don't Cost a Thing video.

Judd, 31, is used to working with stars, from Michael Jackson to Diana Ross to Jordan Knight, formerly of New Kids on the Block. Judd danced on Knight's 1999 tour and choreographed several numbers for his 2000 Summer Tour.

''I consider him one of the best, and he's danced with the best. He's definitely at the top of the echelon,'' says Knight. ''What I liked about his choreography was he could do funky street moves and more jazzy kind of stuff.''

Dancing was always his thing. Today, Judd and his choreographer partner Eddie Garcia travel the country giving lessons, and they have a Web site, laclubfeet.com.

A military brat, Judd was born in Abilene, Texas, and lived in Hawaii and the Philippines before moving to Florida. At Okaloosa-Walton Community College in Niceville, Fla., he danced in West Side Story and often would come to school and ask his friends to watch a move he saw on MTV.

''He was to the point where it was almost annoying,'' recalls Milsten. ''He was really into going to clubs, dancing and imitating Michael Jackson and Prince.''

Judd shocked classmates by leaving school in December 1988, after three semesters, to move to Orlando for a job at Disney World. It was there he started performing and studying dance. Eventually, he got a contract working for Disney's Pleasure Island, a nighttime entertainment facility.

Judd's big break came in 1995 when he was hired to dance with Jackson on the MTV Video Awards and then toured with the Gloved One on his HIStory tour. From there it was on to other tours, award shows, films such as Three to Tango and music videos, including the fateful J. Lo gig.

Judd and Lopez, 30, have been practically inseparable since confirming their rumored romance at the Oscars. They strolled hand-in-hand when he visited her on the set of her next movie, Enough.

''They look like a very new couple because they're so cuddly,'' Knight says.

That may have something to do with who Judd is.

''He's a romantic, I guess is the way to put it,'' Milsten said.

So is Lopez. ''I was born a romantic,'' she recently told Britain's In Style magazine. ''I operate from the heart -- that's who I am.''

Says Knight, ''He's definitely a guy with a big heart. He's really loyal. If you get to know him, he'll do anything for you.''

If Lopez heads down the aisle again, it will be her second trip. Her 1997 marriage to Cuban waiter Ojani Noa lasted only a year.

Judd, whose hobbies include golf (4 handicap), surfing, Rollerblading, roller hockey and snowboarding, hasn't had much to say when the camera has been on him, because he has let Lopez be the focus.

''He's definitely not quiet,'' Knight says. ''He likes to joke around and tell stories. . . . When he's in his dance world, he's very outgoing and talking to everybody and smacking people on the back -- really hard.''