Watch the moment a gay man surprises his boyfriend with a tear-jerking Love Actually proposal
CJ Ewens proposed to his partner Christopher Nicoll in the style of the film Love Actually. Cry reacts only. (Screen captures via Facebook)
Here’s a check-list for reading this article: tissues, tissues and more tissues. A gay man surprised his partner with a Love Actually themed proposal and we are officially crying until the end of time itself.
And don’t worry, he said yes!
Recreating the iconic Richard Curtis classic, CJ Ewens hoisted himself onto a stage in England and flipped through scribbled signs declaring his love for Christoper Nicoll.
‘He is my soulmate’: Drag performers get hitched in the most beautiful way.
The couple, who are both drag performers, met 10 years ago at Butlins Bognor Regis, a holiday camp in the West Sussex seaside resort.
“He worked on bars and I worked as part of the cast,” Nicoll told PinkNews, saying how they had a couple casual dates before reuniting in a rather unlikely way.
“Years later, he was managing a resort in Aviemore [Scotland] and needed an ‘Elf Manager’ to complete a Christmas season, I got the job and the rest is history.
“We both love performing, I have a drag alter ego Miss Crystal and CJ performs as a drag Prince.
“We literally have a walk in wardrobe full of heels, sequins and feathers! It’s so amazing having a partner in the same industry as he gets how busy it can be and that you need to travel to where the work is.”
Begin crying in t-minus 10, nine…
Singing Christina Perri’s ‘A Thousand Years’, Ewens, wearing a red and white suit, picked up a cue card which simply read: “Hey, boy!”
“Bet you’re wondering what’s going on?”
Which was precisely was Nicoll was thinking. “I had no idea what was going on!”
While rehearsing a drag queen number, Nicoll’s parents both walked into the venue hall; they had come all the way from Scotland.
But it wasn’t just Nicoll’s family, his closest friends and loved ones had all come down to see he and his partner perform their drag set.
‘Love Actually is my all time favourite Christmas film’.
Taking his make-up off after the show, Nicoll was hurried by a friend back to the venue only to find everyone still here, eagerly sat on wooden chairs with champagne glasses sprinkled everywhere.
That’s when the couple’s favourite song began to blast out of the speaker systems, ‘A Thousand Years’, and Ewens stepped on stage to pop the question.
“Love Actually is my all time favourite Christmas film,” Nicoll explained.
“I think there is so much sentiment and heart in every single one of the story arcs.
“And it was December 14 when he proposed so everything was just completely perfect. I was totally overwhelmed.”
The original film saw Andew Lincoln’s character Mark who is smitten with Keira Knightly’s Juliet, the wife of his best pal.
If you’re the only person known to human history who hasn’t watched the film, we won’t spoil too much, but some twists and turns happen that lead to Juliet finding out about Mark’s closeted love.
He decides to declare his love to her in the now memorable scene.
‘I just want people to see that there are real life Prince Charmings out there.’
Ewens flipped through the cards, blushing and giggling as he did so to the cheers of the couple’s families.
“In the past I’ve been broken,” a card read, “into a million pieces.
“But you’re fixing me like Humpty Dumpty, you complete me and i want the world to know how much I love. ”
No, you’re crying, OK?
In the end, Nicoll said yes. Leading to a loved one enthusiastically raising a ‘He said yes!’ sign.
Looking back on the proposal a year on, and Nicoll still can’t help but tear up when he sees a video recording of the engagement, which has had more than 7,300 views on Facebook since.
“There’s been people that I don’t even know messaging me saying how romantic it was,” he said, “and really, I just want people to see that there are real life Prince Charming’s out there.”
