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A British man who posted a video saying he dropped an engagement ring in a lake while proposing to his girlfriend has gone viral on TikTok.
The couple, whose names are listed on their TikTok profiles as Gerii Ashforth and Ross Bamber, have both posted about the event, saying it was going to be a "perfect proposal" until Bamber dropped the ring in the lake.
In a video with 3.7 million views, posted by Ashforth on June 18, Bamber could be seen leading her onto a wooden deck while she held her hands over her eyes. The couple were backlit by electric tealight candles and positioned next to a lake.
As Bamber begins to get down one knee to propose to Ashforth, who was still covering her eyes, a series of thuds could be heard in the clip, with Ashforth immediately saying, "That wasn't what I thought it was?" Ashforth captioned the TikTok using the hashtags #InTheLake, #RingDrop, and #ProposalGoneWrong.
Some commenters said they were amused by the video, joking that if the ring fell into the water, it might be a "sign" the pair should not get married. Other top comments expressed sympathy for the couple, with one person saying they "feel bad" about how much money Bamber would have lost.
One comment with 43 likes was skeptical about whether the video was legitimate, asking whether Bamber was playing a "prank" on Ashforth by pretending to drop the ring into lake. "I wish it was a prank.. it was a very expensive engagement," Ashforth wrote under the comment.
Bamber and Ashforth have since spoken to several news outlets about their viral video. In an interview with BBC Radio Norfolk, Bamber said he saw the ring fall into the lake with his own eyes.
"I watched it as it was bouncing along the decking and it sat on the edge of one of the decking boards, and I thought, 'Wow' — and then it literally plopped in," he told the outlet.
The couple also said that friends tried to help them find the ring by swimming in the lake with goggles on, but were unable to see it.
The Daily Mail reported that the ring cost £1,000 (around $1,200), according to quotes given from Bamber to news agency group SWNS.
"I literally couldn't believe it. I didn't even manage to get down on one knee," Bamber told SWNS, according to the Daily Mail report.
On Bamber's own TikTok account, which has 283 followers, he posted a video to say that he bought Ashforth a second ring the following day, sharing a short clip from the proposal, and an on-screen caption that read, "She finally said yes!"
The couple has since shared multiple updates on the ring, which have tens of thousands of views each, on Ashforth's TikTok account. They have shown old clips and pictures of the ring, as well as videos of them celebrating their engagement.
In one video posted on June 21, which has 22,000 views, Ashforth shared screenshots of text message conversations, which she said she sent to local scuba divers, asking them if they could help to retrieve the ring. "Help us find my diamond ring that's in the lake!," she captioned the TikTok.
Insider reached out to Bamber and Ross for comment.
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