High romance as coast-walk proposal ends in hospital bed

WHEN John Dardis set off for a hike along the Cornish coast with his girlfriend on Saturday morning, he surreptitiously slipped a ring into his pocket.

However, his romantic plan to bend the knee and propose to the love-of-his-life, Suzannah Newham, seemed to be doomed when he slipped and broke his ankle. But, unfazed, he asked Ms Newham to marry him while lying on his back, waiting for emergency services to arrive.

The bride-to-be showed off her engagement ring as she posed for a picture with rescuers while on the way to hospital in an ambulance.

Regie Butler, a Newquay Coastguard rescue officer, said: “It was an unfortunate accident, but John was very stoic. It rained overnight so it was a bit slippery – it was just pure bad luck.”

Mr Butler told The Daily Telegraph: “Suzie phoned 999 for the coastguard, and while they were all on their way John took the ring out of his pocket, turned to Suzie, and said, ‘Well, I was going to do this further along but as this is more romantic than a hospital bed...’.” He said that despite the unfortunate circumstances, it was nonetheless a perfect location for a proposal.

“The South West coast path is a very beautiful place, very scenic, a very good spot to propose,” he said.

The couple, who live in Bristol, were staying at Mawgan Porth, near Newquay, for the weekend. Mr Dardis later took a picture of his ankle in a cast next to a bottle of champagne and thanked the rescuers for their “great banter”.