Ben Shephard has been married to his interior designer wife for over 20 years – and his proposal is still a source of amusement between the couple. In a new interview with The Times, the This Morning presenter, 51, recalled the time he popped the question and how it didn't quite go as planned.
"I didn't rush the proposal because you’ve got to be sure. I've come to understand that I often need 'producing': I work well under direction," Ben recalled, explaining that he had been with Annie for nine years when she asked him why he hadn't asked her to marry him. "Eventually I did sort myself out, and we got a ring."
© gettyBen recalls his proposal to Annie
At the time, Annie was living in Paris while working as a nanny, so Ben travelled over to see her. "I had a ring made and booked a table at this beautiful restaurant overlooking the Eiffel Tower, and Annie knew this was the night I was going to propose," he said.
His TV job at the time, being an early morning presenter at GMTV, somewhat stunted the proposal. Ben recalled: "We’d had a lovely afternoon in Paris, and I said, 'Oh, I’ll just have a little sleep before we go out,' but I didn’t wake up until 2 am, when I sat bolt upright, saying, 'What’s happened? Where are we?' I completely slept through everything, and she didn’t wake me up."
Ben finally pops the question
The next day, Ben set about putting it right. "We were in the Jardin du Palais Royal, which Annie loves. It was raining, so we sat under a bright red umbrella," he explained.
© Instagram"I was so nervous, and she was talking ten to the dozen. It's really flipping difficult to ask someone to marry you when they won't shut up. I needed her to be quiet, so I could ask her. We always go back there and have a drink in the gardens to reminisce about the trauma of me trying to persuade her to marry me."
Inside Ben and Annie Shephard's wedding
The pair married on 25 March 2004, and this year they will mark their 22nd wedding anniversary. They tied the knot in the most romantic of spots – on a private island inspired by an Agatha Christie novel.
Ben has previously revealed that his wife is a huge fan of the iconic detective novelist and two of her books, And Then There Were None and Evil Under the Sun, were set on Burgh Island in south Devon.
"There is a magical, exquisite Art Deco hotel called Burgh Island hotel, which looks a bit like an ocean liner from the sea, and we decided it would be amazing to have our wedding reception there," Ben told The Times. "The hotel is cut off from the mainland at high tide and surrounded by a beautiful beach. It was just perfect."
© InstagramThe bride looked beautiful in a white gown, faux fur jacket, and sparkly heels as she and Ben embarked on a post-ceremony beach walk. In 2020, the couple, along with their two sons, Sam, 21, and Jack, 19, returned to their wedding venue to mark Annie's birthday.
"Perfect birthday tea for @mrsannieshephard at the place where it all began and we tied the knot @burghislandhotel so many years ago," Ben wrote on social media at the time.
© Instagram"So lovely to catch up with Gary the barman, who's been here since time began. Trust me, his cocktails are just as good and worth coming back for 17 yrs after we first experienced them! Thanks to all, we'll be back."
