Tim Tebow won two rings starring for the Florida Gators more than a decade ago. He's ready for another.
Tim Tebow has asked girlfriend Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters to marry him – and she said yes!
The former Heisman Trophy winner and current Mets' minor leaguer got engaged to girlfriend Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters this week, asking the 2017 Miss Universe winner to marry him on a visit to his family's farm outside of Jacksonville. Tebow shared photos on his Instagram. The engagement comes roughly two years after Nel-Peters was crowned Miss South Africa 2017 and began dating Tebow.
The couple strolled along the property and stopped next to a small lake, where Tebow had installed an arbor and a specially made bench that was engraved with the date the couple first met.
The 23-year-old Nel-Peters, who reportedly celebrated her first American Thanksgiving with Tebow's family while dating the former Gators and NFL quarterback, was born near the western coast of South Africa.
According to People, the 31-year-old Tebow secretly had his now-fiancée's family and friends have flown to Florida to witness the sunset proposal, which included an arbor and a "specially made bench that was engraved with the date the couple first met." Tebow also enlisted South African singer Matthew Mole to serenade them with a surprise rendition of "The Wedding Song."
For about five minutes, Tebow and Nel-Peters talked about their relationship and its future in hushed tones before Tebow, dropped to one knee. "Demi Leigh Nel-Peters, I love you," he said. "Demi Leigh Nel-Peters, will you marry me?"
As Nel-Peters said yes, Tebow slipped a 7.25-carat solitaire ring on her finger. "This ring is internally flawless," he said. "Just like you."
Tebow had told People before dating Nel-Peters that he was "ready to settle down and start a family" with a woman who "has a good heart," who cares "about people who can't do anything for them in return" and who "really loves God." Upon proposing to Nel-Peters, he followed up by telling the magazine that his future wife checks all those boxes.
Tebow has had one of the sports' most polarizing careers, flaming out as a first-round NFL draft pick and one-time comeback artist of the Denver Broncos, and then spending time with the New York Jets, New England Patriots, and Philadelphia Eagles before transitioning to a career in broadcasting. Since 2016, he's had his sights set on an MLB career within the New York Mets organization, ascending to Double-A All-Star status in 2018.
Tebow tells PEOPLE, now, that Nel-Peters is exactly what he has been looking for.
"She's just perfect for me," he told People. "I'm really blessed to have her by my side for the rest of my life."
