Shona McGarty announced her engagement to partner David Bracken after he got down on one knee in London’s Holland Park.
The EastEnders actress, who played soap legend Whitney Dean for over 16 years, admitted she had “no idea” David, who plays in Irish band Blessed, would propose to her.
The couple, who met last year, had a romantic picnic but it was almost ruined when the police showed up.
Speak with OK!, David explained that the police arrived to “close down the park” and that he had asked them to “give him five minutes, because he was going to propose to her.”
He said: ‘I went to the police, who said: ‘Sorry, we’re just closing the park down’. I said: ‘Would you give me five minutes because I’m going to propose to my partner?’ He looked at his watch and said: ‘Of course, and good luck,” David says.
Shona McGarty has announced she is engaged to partner David Bracken after he got down on one knee in London’s Holland Park
The EastEnders actress, who played Whitney Dean on the soap for more than 16 years, admitted she ‘had no idea’ David, who plays in an Irish band called Blessed, would pop the question
‘So I told Shona to go stand by the waterfall in the park. I then put on our favourite song and danced with her before getting down on one knee.’
David had chosen a quiet corner in the park called Kyoto Garden, a place that means a lot to Shona.
She added: ‘I love Japanese culture and the spirituality of it. He brought a picnic which was really sweet. It was lovely, I was in my element, but I didn’t expect him to propose to me.’
The couple met a year ago after David, who had no idea Shona was starring in EastEnders, messaged her on TikTok asking if she wanted to duet on a song after he watched one of her videos.
Shone excitedly shared that she knew David was “the one” because the relationship felt “different” than before.
The couple also told the publication that they have already started “looking at color schemes” and locations for their weddings.
Shona said they are keen to get married next year and are thinking of a Christmas wedding, adding that the wedding will likely take place in Ireland as they both have lots of family there.
Shone gave a glimpse into the guest list for their wedding and revealed that the majority of the EastEnders cast will be invited as they are ‘a huge part of the couple’s journey’.
The couple, who met last year, enjoyed a romantic picnic that was nearly ruined when police showed up
Speaking to OK!, David explained that the police arrived to ‘close the park down’ and that he had to ask them to ‘give me five minutes because he was going to propose’
The couple also revealed to the publication that they have already started “looking at color schemes” and locations for their weddings
Shona quietly launched her relationship with the Irish musician in September when she shared a black-and-white photo of their intertwined hands, with David showing off his signature tattoo.
The actress wrote, “I promise,” with a romantic John Lennon quote in the caption: “Love is a promise, love is a souvenir, once you give it, never forget it, never let it go.”
Two days earlier, David had shared the same photo and written: ‘A promise is a promise. Never to be broken. #happy #happyplace.’
In October 2022, Shona and her ex-boyfriend Max Bowden reportedly split after a six-month romance, after he had a baby boy with his ex Roisin Buckle.
Roisin discovered she was pregnant in early 2022, but the couple decided to split in March, although they agreed to jointly parent once their son was born.
The former romance between Max, who plays Ben Mitchell in EastEnders, and Shona came to light in May 2022 after sources claimed the pair were ‘inseparable’.
They made their relationship official on Instagram in August 2022, but six months later, a source told The sun: ‘A lot has happened in Max’s life and Shona’s involvement made it all too complicated.
‘Max will always have a lot of love and respect for Shona, but now is just not the right time.’
A friend close to the couple added: ‘Max and Shona have never spoken about it publicly, but as those close to them know, they have never been in a formal relationship and are still good friends. However, a few months ago they decided not to pursue a romantic relationship.’