Celebrity News

Going off script: Te Kohe pops the question

The Shorty star rocks his girl with a sweet proposal

Memorising scripts is part of Te Kohe Tuhaka’s job, but when it came time for the former Shortland Street star to propose, his mind drew a blank.

“I pulled the ring out of my pocket, turned around and there was a very long pause,” recalls the Mahana actor. “Then I said, ‘Will you marry me?’ None of the awesome speech I wrote came out – just those words!”

It wasn’t the first time Te Kohe had tried to pop the question to his love of three years, Larissa Dyke. In the past, something had always gotten in the way – but this time, there was no stopping the 34-year-old.

Te Kohe and Larissa met in 2013. “You know where everything stands still in the movies?” recalls Te Kohe. “As clichéd as it sounds, it was like that for me from the minute we shook hands.”

It was that moment that inspired the engagement ring, an intricate nine-carat gold Celtic design of two hands intertwined. “Ever since we first got together, it has been so easy,” says Larissa.

“Moving homes, moving islands, moving towns … We’ve already done it all.”

Nine months into their romance, Te Kohe introduced the blonde beauty to nine-year-old Phoenix, his son from a previous relationship, and the new family unit got on swimmingly.

While everything seems to have fallen into place for the couple, Te Kohe confesses they do “butt heads a lot”. He laughs, “We’ll let arguments go on longer than they should because neither of us wants to lose!”

Something the couple aren’t competing over is their wedding, set for the end of the year in Larissa’s hometown of Alexandra in Central Otago. Game of Thrones actor Joe Naufahu has agreed to be in the 15-strong bridal party. And even though they haven’t exchanged vows yet, the couple have already set their next goals. “More travel and more children,” says Te Kohe.

Smiling, Larissa adds, “My prediction is a girl first – we already have a wager on it!”

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