Main images courtesy of People Magazine | Daily Mail
So, celebrity engagements 2014... what a 12 months it has been! This will go down as the year of whirlwind romance, with many couples dating for just a short while before producing a ring. Even Gorgeous George went there! Here's our breakdown of most talked-about couples of the year. Who'll be the first to wed, who'll do it discreetly, and who'll sell out to Hello? Only time will tell...
Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter
If there was such a thing as engage-o-meter (we think there should be one…) then Benedict Cumberbatch’s announcement would probably break it. We wage it was because it kind of pounced upon us out of nowhere, with that traditional advert in The Times under ‘forthcoming marriages’. The sound of hearts breaking around the world was faithfully recorded by Twitter, and then picked up by the worldwide media. His chosen one is Sophie Hunter, an accomplished actress, playwright and director. The gossip has it the wedding will be a private affair too – very befitting of Benedict and bride.
Sophie's engagement ring courtesy of PopSugar
Andy Murray and Kim Sears
Immaculate, poised and discreet, Kim Sears has been dating Andy Murray for over 7 years. The ‘will he or won’t he’ question kept popping up in the media with regular frequency… until Andy won Wimbledon. In a post-match interview, he was asked by a TV presenter whether he’s ready to propose to Kim now? His answer deserved its own trophy: ‘I only met you like ten minutes ago so I wouldn’t be telling you first’. Ha. Sure enough, when the time was right (November 2014), he asked the question.
George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin
The amount of time between George Clooney’s last divorce and next engagement – 21 years. Length of time between George Clooney’s next engagement and wedding – 5 months. Did he get pooh-poohed by the media for ‘rushing into things’? You bet. But, being George Clooney, did he care? Probably not. He got engaged to a stunning woman, a barrister specialising in international law, a well-known activist, and fluent in three languages. And these are just some of her accomplishments. George – we salute you for showing us it’s worth going through more than two decades of (good looking) singlehood to finally find the one woman you can’t wait to marry. Well done, you!
Amal's engagement ring courtesy of Harper's Bazaar
Geri Halliwell and Christian Horner
Only those who follow Formula 1 will likely know who the groom is, but we have to say, we’re strangely enamoured by the pop star + racing team boss combo. It’s far more exciting than that old chestnut, rock star + model, or sports star + actress. They followed in Benedict’s footsteps by taking out an advert in The Times, and then announced it on Twitter. We’re hoping for a super-cool wedding and a rockin’ dress, Geri!
Mairead Farrell and Louis Ronan
It's a coupling made in heaven - the (radio) showgirl and the businessman. Dating since 2011, they went away on holiday in the summertime and came back with the beautiful rock below. According to The Independent, the couple were joined by Mairead's six-year-old son for the romantic proposal who will have his first manly task ahead of him - doubling up as Best Man for both the bride and the groom.
Mairead's engagement ring courtesy of Independent.ie
Jeff Goldblum and Emilie Livingston
Today’s youngsters may not even know who Jeff is, but we included this lovely couple as proof that love conquers all at any age – he’s 61, she’s 31. To some, it’s a shocking difference. But it doesn’t matter. They’re both adults. She’s an accomplished gymnast, three-times Canadian National Champion, and qualified for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Today, she works as an aerialist and contortionist to the stars, and she performed in one of Justin Bieber’s videos, and with Taylor Swift and Jennifer Lopez at the Grammys. That’s one cool bride – well done Jeff!
Emilie's engagement ring courtesy of NY Daily News
Courteney Cox and Johnny McDaid
And here we have the classic actress + rock star pairing – the former Monica from Friends, and Johnny of the band Snow Patrol. The romance was immediately called ‘whirlwind’ by the press, as they’d only been dating for six months. She looks absolutely stunning at 50, and he’s 37 – and quite a dish! Everyone knows bands put out their best music when they're either madly happy or in mad turmoil, so expect some good stuff from Snow Patrol in the near future!
Eddie Redmayne and Hannah Bagshawe
Eddie’s career is actually longer than most people think, but he became truly famous with Les Miserables. In fact, a quick poll of all the single ladies we know has revealed that their loyalties are strictly divided between one Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne – so there was a sizeable amount of broken hearts around the world upon the announcement. Engaged in July after approximately two years of dating, it’s been reported he made the very gentlemanly gesture of asking her father for her hand in marriage.
Hannah's engagement ring courtesy of US Magazine
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis
According to People magazine, Ashton and former co-star Mila Kunis from That 70s Show got engaged in February after Ashton asked her dad's permission to marry her. They became parents in September, and now they’ll get to tie the knot in the company of their beautiful baby daughter Wyatt - rumour has it the wedding will take place in July. Ashton was always swoon-worthy, and now even more so. Mila is gorgeous, smart and funny. They make a fantastic couple. They didn’t ask our permission, but we would have said yes anyway!
Mila's engagement ring courtesy of Harper's Bazaar
Of course, no list of engagements could be complete without an 'are they or aren't they?' mystery - this year, it's all about the gorgeous Charlize Theron and Sean Penn. The gossip media had a field day in the second half of July, spotting a huge diamond ring on that finger of Miss Theron's hand, and the rumours persisted until this September, when the lack of announcement was interpreted as only gossip queens can... a possible breakup? But then, in October, Sean Penn's daughter Dylan said her dad's happy, so she's happy. We're going to take a wild guess here and say that definitely maybe they aren't engaged, but are very likely probably doing this as a decoy to the real thing, which may or may not have happened yet. There. You heard it here first.
