Never gonna give you up!
THIS is the lovely moment a onelegged bachelor got down on one knee... thanks to a big plan, a supportive crowd – and Rick Astley.
Tony Curran, 53, plotted his big proposal to Tracey McLoughlin, 40, for a year.
Recording his progress on a blog dubbed ‘1Leg on 1Knee’ - because he lost his right leg as a boy - his proposal plans involved learning to sing Rick Astley’s ‘Never Gonna Give You Up,’ 150 red roses, 50 tailor-made flags, 25 heart-shaped balloons, and a lot of help from friends and family.
When the big day arrived, and with a crowd of more than 100 gathered at St Ann’s Square, all was ready.
Having persuaded Tracey into town from their home in Clayton on the ruse that they were having a meal for her 40th birthday, Tony led his unsuspecting love into the crowd, before serenading her with Rick Astley’s Eighties classic.
Then, as it dawned on Tracey this was no regular 40th celebration, he dropped to one knee and popped the question. With tears in her eyes, Tracey said yes.
Tony, who lost his leg aged eight after getting too close to overhead lines on the railway, said: “It all went to plan - apart from when I got up from one knee and my leg fell off. But that all adds to the adventure. I had been nervous about the weather on the day, I just wanted a dry 10 minutes and that was in the hands of the gods.”
Having met in 2002 at a local quiz night, Tony’s first Valentine’s Day card to Tracey included the words: “Never give you up, never gonna let you down,’ as it was playing on the radio while he scribed his love note. Ever since, he’s written those words in every birthday, Christmas and Valentine’s card.
He added: “It seemed the right song to sing. She was in floods of tears.
“She was shaking so much I had to hold her up.
“She’s not stopped telling me how much she loves me since. And she can’t watch the video – she bursts into tears every time.”
Tony’s son Kevin, 31, and Tracey’s children Matthew, 21, and twins Jack and Chloe, 18, were among the crowd. As well as friends – in particular Tony’s best mate Johnny Wolowitz – they were all involved in planning the engagement, from figuring out her ring size to tracking down busker Elliot Moore, who played the violin.
Even Tracey’s employer Venus Flowers helped out by donating 150 red roses to the cause. After all that, the wedding is sure to be a day to remember – although Tony says he has ‘no idea’ when the big day will be.
“But I know for a fact we’ll be planning it together”, he added. “This involved quite a lot of lying and I never want to lie to Tracey about anything ever again.”