Why an elephant encounter inspired Michael Parr to propose
Michael Parr has shared the "romantic" moment he got engaged in front of an audience of "kissing" elephants in South Africa.
Michael Parr has shared the "romantic" moment he got engaged in front of an audience of "kissing" elephants.
The Emmerdale actor popped the question to Isabelle Du Plessis - with whom he has seven-month-old daughter Suzie - while visiting her family in South Africa but his grand plans were almost thwarted by his partner's reluctance to go on a bushwalk with him.
He explained to OK! magazine: “We were going on safari. I said to her family, ‘If we see elephants or giraffes at the watering hole, I’ll take that as the sign to pop the question.’”
Isabelle laughed: “I had no idea at all,.
“He kept asking me to go on this bushwalk and I was like, ‘I’ve done bushwalks before. I’m not that into it, but I think you should go.”
Michael noted: “You were literally stopping your own proposal."
The pair eventually set out and the moment proved to be far more emotional than 39-year-old Michael could have expected.
He said: “A bull elephant and its partner came to the watering hole and they started wrapping their trunks around each other. It looked like they were kissing. It felt romantic and really symbolic.
“I came up with this really cheesy line and said, ‘What do you think is more beautiful, those elephants or this ring?’ and I pulled the ring out of the box and said, “Will you marry me?”
His fiancee added: “I turned around and saw the box. I cried a lot. I was so emotional. I completely forgot about everyone else around us.”
Michael had spent weeks planning the right ring, with help from Isabelle's best friend in New York.
He explained: “They’d actually tried on engagement rings years ago and taken pictures. There was one she really liked, so I had a reference.”
But the couple are in no rush to get married just yet.
Isabelle said: "We want to buy a house this year. That’s the priority.
“We’ve talked about getting married for a while, but I genuinely didn’t think it was coming yet.”
But Michael said: “I had said things about buying a house first, so she wasn’t expecting it.”
With family all over the world, the couple don't even know where they will marry yet.
Isabelle said: “There are so many options. South Africa, London, New York… we want it to feel personal and we have so many family members to consider too...
"[For now] we’re enjoying every moment of being engaged.”
