Former 'Bachelor' Ben Higgins announces engagement to Jessica Clarke
Congratulations are in order for Ben Higgins and Jessica Clarke!
The former “Bachelor” star proposed to his girlfriend Friday evening, according to "Entertainment Tonight." Clarke announced the big news via Instagram on Saturday. She shared a series of candid photos of the special moment, including one of Higgins on one knee.
“I don’t remember everything you said, but I know that I said yes,” she captioned the heartwarming post. “I woke up in a dream today and I get to live in this dream every day from now on (eeeep).”
Higgins, 31, told "ET" that for months he planned to propose to Clarke in New York City while he and former "Bachelorette" star Becca Kufrin were touring with “The Bachelor: Live on Stage." But the coronavirus outbreak put the event on hold and forced him to find a new way to pop the question.
The couple had been quarantining with Higgins’ parents, but they drove to Clarke's family for the proposal. Higgins kept the real reason for the trip a secret from his now-fiancée.
"I was super nervous,” he told "ET." “She's my best friend, my partner, and I love her. I was nervous to kind of do this whole thing in front of her. I wasn't anxious. It's just a big moment!"
Higgins shared that he proposed by a pond behind her house in Franklin, Tennessee. The scene was staged with sunflowers and a bench, and both families watched the romantic moment from a distance. According to Clarke, it was a complete success.
"This is exactly how I would have wanted it to be," she told "ET." "Central Park would have been magical and special in its own way. But it's really cool that we just got to be together last night and not really have to talk to anyone else but my family. It was great. It was perfect. I couldn't imagine it a better way."
She also joked that her ring is “never coming off!”
Higgins and Clarke went public with their relationship in February 2019 — almost two years after Higgins' split from Lauren Bushnell, the woman to whom he offered his final rose on season 20 of "The Bachelor."
To announce his relationship with Clarke — which began when Higgins “successfully slid into her Dm’s" — the reality star shared a snapshot of the couple on Instagram.
“I’ve been selfishly keeping this girl to myself for too long!” he wrote. “I took a risk and I am glad I did. She is someone special, and I look forward to where life is going to take us. Stay tuned for the journey.”
