Olympic ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates get engaged
Olympic ice dancing medalists Madison Chock and Evan Bates have just turned up the heat on their relationship: They're engaged!
Chock, 29, posted a photo of herself on a beach with Bates, 33, on Instagram Thursday revealing the big news.
"Left home with my boyfriend, coming back with my fiancé!" she wrote in the caption. The pair are holding one another in the picture, with the date "6.11.22" written in the sand behind them.
In a second photo, the pair are seated, smiling and touching foreheads in a sweet, romantic shot.
They got engaged during a trip to Thailand, their rep told People.
Chock also posted other fun pictures on Instagram of the pair enjoying their vacation, including shots from the beach and a kitty cat!
Bates decided to ask her to marry him on June 11 because, as he told People, they'd spent six years dating, but 11 as a skating pair — though really they've known each other for even longer.
“We actually went on a date for her 16th birthday," Bates told TODAY in 2018, when the pair were competing at the Olympics as a couple for the first time in Pyeongchang. They helped Team USA earn a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics earlier this year.
Chock and Bates began skating together in 2011 and competed together in 2014's Sochi Games. And then ... they fell in love.
"I pretty much told Maddie that I loved her,” Bates said in 2018. “Last year I told (her) how I really felt and that changed things a lot.”
As Bates told People, they'd gone shopping for rings in April. "Madi wanted a vintage ring and we found the perfect one from Victor Barboné in NYC. It’s a vintage Cartier ring from 1920. It’s very Art Deco, which is Madi’s favorite and it’s one of a kind."
Then, being in Thailand earlier this month seemed to seal the deal. They had some massages, then after a bout of rain subsided, went down to the beach.
"I found a stick and began doodling in the sand," said Chock. "Evan suggested I write the date. As I finished writing the date, he pointed out the significance of the numbers of the date. Then he knelt down and asked me to marry him! I was carrying a bunch of stuff and had my hands full, but when I realized what was happening I tossed everything down on the sand and answered with a resounding yes. We were engaged!"
They returned to the hotel to find roses and champagne in their room (something Bates had planned as a surprise) and shared dinner on the beach with the friends they were vacationing with.
“It was a perfect day," said Bates, "rain included!”
