This former Fly Girl is now a Lady in Waiting! Dancing With The Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba, 42, sat down a single gal and got up with a diamond sparkler while filling in for the vacationing Kelly Ripa on Thursday’s Live! with Regis and Kelly.
At the start of the show, Carrie Ann cleared up rampant rumors of a possible engagement – spurred by a recent interview with Prevention magazine, in which Carrie said she was “planning a summer wedding on the beach” — telling Regis Philbin that the stories were not true and flashing her bare ring finger to the show’s audience.
She couldn’t know that in just an hour’s time her now-fiance Jesse Sloan was on a mission to change that. Carrie Ann was shocked at the end of show, when Regis answered a pre-planned viewer question regarding the best way to propose. The studio lights slowly dimmed as Jesse made his way onstage to pop the question to Carrie Ann.
“I just want to find the words to express what you mean to me. You’re an inspiration. You’re beautiful. You’re wonderful. You’re everything to me. Will you marry me?” Jesse remarked, with Reege looking over his shoulder.
“Yes, I will marry you,” she tearfully answered. “You tricked me!”
The newly engaged couple shared a kiss and embrace before Jesse, 39, adorned Carrie’s finger with a platinum 2.5-carat princess-cut diamond ring by Rafinity, which also contained Carrie and Jesse’s birthstones, according to PEOPLE.