Welsh beauty Lucy Whitehouse engaged to Irish heartthrob Tommy Bowe

When Welsh beauty queen Lucy Whitehouse met Irish rugby star Tommy Bowe, it was always going to be a match made in heaven.

And now the scrummy former Miss Wales has spoken for the first time of her “complete surprise” when the quick-off-the-mark winger popped the question last weekend.

Speaking about their Easter Saturday engagement, 26-year-old Lucy told us: “We were strolling on the perfect beach in Wales. I don’t want to say which beach it was, but it is in Pembrokeshire and it is one of the top 10 beaches in the world.

“It was the perfect setting and a lovely day. But it still came as a great surprise.

“It was really romantic and I was delighted to accept.”

But the couple – who live in Belfast, where Lucy works as a nurse – were unprepared for the headline-grabbing scale of the reaction in Ireland after posting the news on Facebook.

“It has been hectic since the news broke,” she added. “But things have settled down a bit now.”

The sound of wedding bells are likely to be a little way off yet, due to Tommy’s rugby commitments as one of Ireland and Ulster’s key players, with 2015’s Rugby World Cup year looming on the horizon.

Lucy said: “To be honest, I didn’t know that much about the finer points of rugby until I met Tommy.

“But since we’ve been together I’ve attended many of the games in which he has played and appreciate and understand the tactics much better. I am now a committed Ulster fan, but I’ll always struggle between supporting Wales and Ireland in the Six Nations.”

She added: “I do get a little nervous and worried when watching him play. It can be such a punishing game.”

But the sporting life has plenty of perks, including joining the victorious British and Irish Lions team when they were invited to Downing Street to be congratulated by Prime Minister David Cameron.

Lucy said: “It was a wonderful day, and a proud one for Wales and Ireland. It’s something I’ll always remember.”

Reluctant heartthrob Tommy, 30, who in 2011 was voted the Sexiest Man in Ireland, once joked their relationship was like that of hit sitcom couple Gavin and Stacey because Lucy is originally from the female star’s Barry.

The couple are reported to be considering the luxurious Castle Leslie in County Monaghan as their wedding venue, the same spot where team-mate Gordon D’Arcy married Irish model Aoife Cogan.

But Lucy, who took part in Miss World in South Africa in 2009 after winning the Welsh crown, said: “We have not set a firm date to marry yet. We are very happy as we are.”

She added: “I love Wales and Barry in particular and go back often to visit my parents. I’m very lucky to have friends and family in two of the best places in the world.”

The couple met through friends at Tommy’s previous regional side, Ospreys, in 2011 and took their romance slowly.

After commuting for a few months, Lucy eventually moved to Ireland to live with Tommy last September.

Meanwhile, Lucy’s parents Denny and Bill have spoken of their delight at the engagement.

Denny, a senior enforcement officer with the Vale of Glamorgan council, said: “They are such a wonderful couple who are very much in love.

“We were so pleased when we heard the news.

“It was a fairytale when Lucy became Miss Wales and took part in the Miss World competition. But this is even better for her.”

Denny, a former winner of the Vale of Glamorgan Woman of the Year for her work on improving the environment, added: “She is a very quiet person, graceful, not pushy at all. We are proud of her.”

Article source: http://www.irb.com/jwc/news/newsid=2067275.html

Welsh beauty Lucy Whitehouse engaged to Irish heartthrob Tommy Bowe