David Hasselhoff proposed to Hayley Roberts three times before she finally said yes — and he was stunned.
“When she said, ‘Yes’ – because she’s 27 years younger – I was blown away,” the 66-year-old admitted to “Today” show’s Richard Wilkins about the Welsh model.
DAVID HASSELHOFF MARRIES MODEL HAYLEY ROBERTS IN ITALY
“We didn’t really think about getting married,” the “Baywatch” star explained on Friday, as reported by UK's Daily Mail. “I proposed to her on the Sydney Harbor Bridge at the top. I proposed to her with a charging elephant. I proposed to her at Cape Town. And then I really proposed to her [during a beach picnic in Malibu] because it was the first time I could actually get down on my knees and say, ‘I love you. Will you marry me?’ from the heart.”
The Daily Mail shared that the couple began dating in 2012 while Hasselhoff was a judge on “Britain’s Got Talent.” He was filming auditions at a hotel and Roberts approached him for an autograph. He said he’d only give it to her if she gave him her phone number.
A romance quickly blossomed and the two became engaged in 2016. The couple married in Puglia, Italy in July 2018.
The “Knight Rider” star was previously married to actress Catherine Hickland from 1984 to 1989. He then wedded starlet Pamela Bach from 1989 until 2006. With his second wife, Hasselhoff is a father to daughters Taylor Ann, 28, and Hayley, 26.
Back in 2016, Hasselhoff told Hello! magazine he didn’t think twice about popping the question. He admitted that while he was initially reluctant to marry again, he changed his mind after Roberts had to return to Wales to be with her sister, who needed heart surgery.
“I had a saying, ‘You don’t get married because you want to live with someone, you get married because you can’t live without them,’” he said at the time. “I felt that way. I knew that I was really unhappy without her. I waited to propose because I thought I was too old for her. I asked her to marry me before but those times were for fun. This time, it was special and from my heart.”
“We were both in tears,” said Roberts. “I genuinely had no idea he was going to do that. I’m still so overwhelmed. I thought he was just joking around at first. He’s asked me before, but it was never for real. Then he pulled out the ring. I cried so hard that he didn’t get around to actually asking, ‘Will you marry me?’ until about 10 minutes later.”
As for the age gap, Roberts insisted it didn’t bother her.
“I don’t worry about it,” she said. “I don’t want to miss out on being with someone I love because of what might happen down the line.”