After nearly 10 years and ever-more-obvious hints, George FM breakfast presenter Leigh Dolbear, aka General Lee, finally took the plunge on a family holiday in Fiji, getting down on one knee to propose to his longtime partner Lee Gilmour – much to her surprise.
“Honestly, it was our second-to-last night on holiday, so I’d kind of given up on it happening,” laughs Lee. “I had started to wonder if it would ever happen!”
The couple – who are known to friends as “Lee Squared” or “Boy Leigh” and “Girl Lee” – were spending six relaxing days at one of their favourite resorts in Denerau with their daughters, Gigi five, and Edi, two.
Fiji is a special place for the couple. It was where they spent their first holiday in the early days of their relationship and where they’ve travelled together many times since. Leigh knew he wanted to book a special table on the beach at the Sofitel’s adults-only Waitui Beach Club for the big moment, but when he rang, he was told it was booked solid for the first four days of their holiday.
“It was the best table in the house, so I wanted to wait for it,” explains Leigh, 43. The star fronts the George FM Breakfast show with Tammy Davis.
Unknowingly, Lee had almost thwarted Leigh’s surprise proposal plans a few times.
“First, she was trying to get into my suitcase where I’d hidden the ring to double-check my packing. I had to keep saying, ‘Leave my bag alone! I’ve got it sorted!’ Then it was hard to hide the ring box on the proposal night – it wasn’t easy to fit it in my shorts and my shirt wouldn’t cover my pockets. And then Lee made me change out of my baggy shorts for the dinner!”
Lee, 40, also vetoed Leigh’s suggestion to walk along the romantic beachfront back to their room “because I didn’t want to get sandy feet”! But Leigh persisted.
“There were palms and beautiful lanterns along the beach, and the water in the background. I knew this was the spot,” tells Leigh. “I threw a bottle of water into the air as a distraction. While she was looking at that, I dropped to one knee.”
Lee recalls, “I couldn’t stop laughing when I turned around, but obviously the answer was yes. Followed closely by, ‘Did you ask my mum for permission?!’”
“Which I had,” he adds. “She gave her blessing and said, ‘Look after her – and buy her some Champagne!’”
Leigh proposed to Lee with her mum Jean’s engagement ring. Jean had handed it down to Lee over a decade ago and it had been kept in a wardrobe for safekeeping.
Lee laughs, “My daughter Gigi loves jewellery, so we’d get it down and try it on – and we’d tease Leigh, saying, ‘One day Mummy will have this ring, eh, Daddy?’ and, ‘Daddy, it’s just up there whenever you want to grab it!’
“On a serious note, Mum and Dad stayed married for 49 years before he passed. It’s really special to wear it.”
Jean insisted Lee turn the ring into something she loved, so the couple had it reset, including adding another diamond in the new design.
The pair will celebrate a decade together this year. They met at work and secretly dated for three months before they told their colleagues. They knew early on they wanted to “do life together”, but having children took priority over getting hitched.
“Leigh and I both lost parents. My dad passed 10 years ago and Leigh’s mum 15 years ago,” shares Lee, who works in marketing at Mediaworks. “When you lose your parents, weddings just go to the side. We flipped it and did kids first, but we struggled with IVF to have our two babies. That was our focus for six years, so it’s really nice to have a celebration.
“Leigh’s nana is 93 and we’re excited to have a wedding she can be at. One that the girls can be part of, and that brings all the family together.”
Leigh jokes, “The pressure’s off – the hard stuff is done!” But the wedding planning might not be plain sailing. The duo’s draft guest list is sitting at 200. So, they’re tossing up whether to have it in Aotearoa or a smaller affair in Fiji in January 2026.
There’s a few things they know for sure – it will be an almighty party with good music, their daughters will play a major role, and they’re keen to have Leigh’s mate and More FM colleague Paul “Flynny” Flynn as their celebrant on the day.
To eliminate confusion over having the same name, Lee will keep Gilmour as her surname once married. It’s also a quiet nod to her dad as she’s the last Gilmour to carry the name.
“I’m just looking forward to calling Leigh my husband instead of my partner,” she says.
Hear General Lee’s work on the George FM Breakfast show with Lee and Tammy today on Rova.
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