10 Celebrity Women Who Proposed to Their Partners
These iconic celebrity women all proposed to their partners, and not one did it because it was a leap year...
It's 2024 and you all know what that means...it's a leap year so women can propose, right?
Wrong! Though tradition dictates that women are 'allowed' to propose to their partners during a leap year, we're more of the opinion that women can propose whenever they want - and we hope you agree.
The wedding tradition of leap year proposals originated in Ireland yonks ago, and Irish monks then took it to Scotland in 1288 and turned it into a law which stated that women could propose during leap years. But there were Ts and Cs attached. In order to abide by the law, the women proposing had to wear red petticoats and if their partner refused, they would be fined!
10 Celebrity Women Who Proposed to Their Partners
Whilst we're not on board with women only being able to propose once every four years, we're kind of into the whole 'you get fined if you say no' thing - that could be fun to test out.
Anyway - fast forward many, many, many years, and women are absolutely not waiting for leap years to propose. In fact, there's a whole trove of celebrity women paving the way for female-led proposals and quite frankly, we're here for it.
Though there's absolutely nothing wrong with buying into tradition and taking the leap year as an opportunity to propose to your partner (you go Glen Coco!), if you're a woman and considering popping the question, why wait until February 29th? Why not just go for it?
If you still need convincing, here are some of the coolest female celebrity proposals and the stories behind them. If they aren't inspiration enough, we're not sure what is!
1. P!NK
Pink and her husband Carey Hart have been married since 2006 and share two children together. The couple's love story is a sweet one, but it's the proposal that marks our favourite part.
Carey, an off-road truck racer and former motocross competitor, was competing in the Pro 250 finals when girlfriend Pink decided to pop the question.
The singer stood at the side of the track whilst Carey was on his third lap of the race and held up a sign that said, "Will you marry me?" - but when he didn't pull over immediately, she added "Serious!".
Of course, Corey said yes and the couple tied the knot a year later in Costa Rica.
2. Rita Ora
Rita Ora and Taika Waititi have fast become one of our favourite celebrity couples! And we love them that little bit more because, you guessed it, they had a female proposal.
The couple were on holiday together in Palm Springs when Rita popped the question. Taika said yes immediately and the pair got married just a few weeks later in their private Los Angeles home.
The whole thing was kept completely under wraps until their one year anniversary when they revealed all in an interview with Vogue.
3. Billie Piper
Though not together anymore, Billie Piper actually proposed to her then boyfriend Chris Evans back in 2001.
Actress Billie and radio DJ Chris had been dating for just four months before the proposal, which took place on Chris's birthday, and were wed in Vegas shortly after.
The pair split in 2007, but are said to have remained on good terms ever since.
4. Elizabeth Taylor
Actress Elizabeth Taylor was famously married eight times, but she only ever proposed once, to her second husband Michael Wilding.
The couple first met in 1948 whilst filming The Conspirator, and she later proposed to him while playing the role of Rebecca in Ivanhoe. The pair went on to have two sons together before splitting in 1957.
5. Jennifer Hudson
Why have one proposal, when you could have two?
And that's exactly what happened with David Otunga and Jennifer Hudson. David proposed to Jennifer on her birthday in 2009, and Jen returned the favour five months later by proposing back to him on his birthday.
Sadly, the couple separated after 10 years together back in 2017.
6. Maeva D'Ascanio
Maeva D'Ascanio and James Taylor met and fell in love on Made in Chelsea. The couple tied the knot last December in a festive Christmas wedding with all the bells and whistles, but their proposal story wasn't as smooth-sailing.
James did propose to Maeva in May 2022, but his proposal came after Maeva popped the question to him whilst filming the show a few months prior.
James turned down the proposal, saying he had something planned already, and he wasn't bluffing. The couple welcomed their first child together in November 2022, just over a year before saying 'I do'.
7. Rebel Wilson
Rebel Wilson proposed to girlfriend Ramona Agruma in the most romantic, magical way - at Disneyland!
The Aussie actress got down on one knee and asked Ramona to marry her with an elaborate set-up surrounded by petals, flowers and of course, matching jumpers. Adorable.
8. Judge Judy
Judge Judy (actual name Judy Sheindlin) proposed to her now husband Jerry after she felt like he showed a lack of enthusiasm towards the idea of getting married.
Speaking to DuJour in 2013, the judge said, "I did propose to him. I said to him, 'Where is the relationship going?', and he tried to weasel out of it saying, 'Well, you know, why do we have to get married?'
"Whatever, he finally capitulated. I told him to pick a date. He picked flag day."
We love a woman who knows what she wants, and goes out and gets it.
9. Zsa Zsa Gabor
It's impressive enough to pluck up the courage to ask one person to marry you, but Hungarian-American actress and socialite Zsa Zsa Gabor took confidence to a whole new level.
Zsa Zsa was married nine times, and it's rumoured that she proposed to each and every one of her husbands. You go girl.
10. Diane von Furstenberg
One of the most iconic fashion designers in the world, Diane von Furstenberg has more up her sleeve than just clothes. A year after separating from her first husband, European Prince Egon von Furstenberg, Diane met Barry Diller.
One year, Diane said she didn't know what to get Barry for his birthday, so called him and said, "If you want, for your birthday, I'll marry you."
A week later, the pair got married in City Hall and 13 years on, they're still happily married. How sweet is that?
Hungry for more celebrity wedding inspo? Here are the 2024 celebrity weddings we're most looking forward to, and our favourite weddings from 2023.
