FORMER EastEnders star Shona McGarty has got engaged to her Irish musician boyfriend David Bracken.
The guitarist popped the question in London’s Holland Park, though their perfect picnic date was fortunate not to have been spoiled by the police.
In a new interview with OK!, David explained: “I went over to the police, who said, ‘Sorry we are just closing up the park’. I said, ‘Would you mind giving me five minutes as I am about to propose to my partner?’ He looked at his watch and said, ‘Of course, and best of luck’.
“So, I told Shona to go stand at the waterfall in the park. I then put on our favourite song and had a dance with her before getting down on one knee.”
Thoughtful David, who is one half of acoustic group Blessed, picked a part of the park that held a special meaning to Shona: the Kyoto Garden.
The Whitney Dean star, 32, said: “I love Japanese culture and the spirituality of it. He brought a picnic which was really sweet. It was lovely, I was in my element but I didn’t think he was going to propose at all.”
Shona, who received an emerald ring from her man, admitted she’s already been browsing wedding dresses.
The couple met through TikTok when David, taken by Shona’s singing voice, messaged her asking if she’d like to collaborate.
He insists he had no idea she was famous before contacting her, but his message wasn’t answered straight away, instead he waited months and months for a response.
They eventually went on to have an hour-long 4am phone call and haven’t looked back since.
David gushed about Shona’s eyes and described her as “the most down to earth person you could meet”, while she loved his “quirky and fun” hairstyle.
The major life moment comes a year after Shona decided to quit EastEnders – though her final scenes didn’t air until May.
Though she’d spent half her life on the soap, she was convinced that the time was right to experience new challenges.
She told us this year: “It was a really difficult decision, because it’s all I’ve ever known. I pretty much grew up on the Square, so I feel like I’m leaving home.
“But I had to put on my big girl pants and be quite brave, because life is so short, and you feel that more and more as you get older.
“There are other opportunities and areas of the industry I want to explore before I get too old! All things come to an end and this is the new chapter of my life.
“So although it was a big decision, once I’d made it, I was quite resolute that this was something I had to do.
“I mean, 16 years is amazing. I’ve had a really good run and Whitney needs a break. She’s had a pretty tough paper round.” Not half.
Ever since she arrived in Walford in 2008, Whitney – the adopted daughter of Bianca Jackson (played by Patsy Palmer) – had been at the heart of countless hard-hitting story lines, including grooming, sexual abuse, baby loss, kidnap, stalking and illicit affairs.
Fans lined the street outside Elstree Studios to wave Shona off after her last day of filming which is testament to the impact she’s had over the last 16 years.
“I’m not gonna lie,” she said, “I feel like it’s a kind of grief and I didn’t think I’d be so emotional.
“But seeing all the fans who had these messages and cards was just beautiful and, although I tried to keep it together, I actually fell to pieces.”
