A man surprised his girlfriend by proposing on stage at a pantomime last night (Thursday).
Stephen Coates, from Peartree Way in Stevenage, popped the question to his partner Emma Owen, 20, of Ferrier Road, during a performance of Cinderella at the town’s Gordon Craig Theatre.
They had both been watching the show when the 21-year-old pretended to be ill in order to leave his seat and go backstage.
Mr Coates was then introduced to the audience by actor Scott Cripps, who plays Buttons in the panto, and proposed on stage using a short poem he wrote during the interval – having been inspired by the show’s use of rhyme.
He said: “I wanted it to be something special rather than just coming out on stage and saying ‘Will you marry me?’ I was absolutely bricking it but I went on stage and just looked in her eyes.
“I probably would have ended up on my back if I had acknowledged the rest of the audience. It was my younger sister’s idea to propose at the panto. We thought it would be a fun idea.”
Miss Owen, who the audience cheered as she replied ‘yes’, said: “I had some suspicions because he had text me earlier asking if I was 100% sure that I wanted to be with him forever. I sort of felt like I had missed something but I didn’t want to get my hopes up and I never imagined he would pop up on stage like that. I had butterflies when I saw him on stage.”
The couple are now saving for their wedding and hope to tie the knot in July 2015.
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