
Ben Robinson, the star of Below Deck, has proposed to his girlfriend Kiara Cabral while on vacation.
The chef, who became a fan favourite on the Bravo series, met the 29-year-old through mutual acquaintances about seven years ago.
It took some time for love to bloom, and the 42-year-old first hinted at their relationship in January 2020, before becoming Instagram official later that year.
They pushed things to the next level earlier this month, when the reality star proposed in dramatic fashion in Italy.
‘With their support, we are now joyfully engaged, and I look forward to a life of love and laughter with the gorgeous Kiara,’ he said of their engagement. ‘It’s an incredible feeling to be safe in such a lovely romance and friendship.’
Ben admitted that he’d ‘fell on his knees in Vatican Square’ during the lavish holiday, but he was certain that his bride-to-be had seen the ring before the romantic moment.
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Despite just being engaged a few days ago, the couple has already planned their wedding and will tie the knot next year.
‘We plan to marry on Cape Cod next summer at my parents’ home, a charming house on the Cotuit shoreline,’ Ben continued to Us Weekly, before sharing the timeline of their romance.
‘Kiara and I met about seven years ago through mutual friends. The stars had not quite aligned for us back then. I was on a Below Deck roller coaster, and she was too young and too skeptical for that racket. But we remained friends.
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‘We actually started dating just before the pandemic, and she moved in with me. We started living and working together. We were absolutely inseparable, and it felt right. In fact, over the last four years we have spent less than 20 days apart.’
Kiara has also received the thumbs up from Ben’s fellow Below Deck graduate, Kate Chastain, who lives in the same building as the pair.
The reality personality rose to prominence on the first season of Below Deck, which premiered in July 2013, and rapidly became recognised for his clever jokes and contagious giggle.
He left the series briefly towards the conclusion of the second season, but returned midway through season three, following Leon Walker’s departure – and remained in the galley for another year.
In addition to the original show, he appeared on the Mediterranean spin-off before moving on.
For the record, the only thing this handsome guy has in common with any chef is the tendency to get emotional around meal times pic.twitter.com/NtLXpJizLF
— Kate Chastain (@Kate_Chastain) May 8, 2023
Kate recently made news when she had to deny that her former co-star is the father of her newborn boy.
The former chief stewardess had her first kid lately, giving admirers a ‘hard launch’ of Sullivan Cay on Instagram but keeping his father’s name hidden.
However, the 40-year-old took a small break from parenting to address concerns that her baby son resembled Ben in any way after they became good friends on Below Deck.
Sharing a new snap of her son, she told followers: ‘For the record, the only thing this handsome guy has in common with any chef is the tendency to get emotional around meal times.’