Real Life

Jason Reeves: love is in the airwaves

Radio DJ Jason Reeves talks to thousands of listeners every day on the air without a hint of nerves, but he was finding it difficult to keep calm as he prepared to pop the question to his true love.

After suggesting a Sunday morning walk on a Takapuna beach with his girlfriend Louise ourray, the Classic Hits host was both excited and terrified.

“I put my jacket on with the ring in my pocket, but it was a gorgeous day, so Louise asked me why I was wearing a jacket. I just said, ‘In case it rains’,” he grins. “I was too nervous, I couldn’t think straight!”

Constantly checking his pocket to make sure the beautiful diamond ring, which the 34-year-old had designed and made especially for Louise, didn’t fall out, the pair walked to a giant rock chair where Jason planned to make his move.

“I had always remembered the chair being set into this wall, but it was right out in the open and there were people everywhere – not the private setting I had imagined,” says Jason, who waited for a short window of time alone on the beach before suggesting Louise sit in the chair for a photo. “Then I said, ‘Better yet, how about this?’, got down on my knee, and took the ring out of my pocket.”

For House of Travel product manager Louise, the romantic moment was a total shock. “There were a lot of ‘oh my gods’,” she laughs. “I was very, very surprised, but very happy. I can’t really remember what he said now, it was all a bit of a blur, but the day couldn’t have been more perfect.”

While Jason may have wanted the proposal to be private, he says the reaction from his loyal listeners when he went public with the news has been overwhelmingly positive.

“I announced on-air that we had got engaged, and next thing I got pages and pages of congratulations emails and messages from people,” says Jason, who has been working in radio for almost 15 years. “It was so cool, so nice to know that people actually care.”

The happy couple, who met nearly three years ago through friends, say the october proposal is just the beginning of a year full of change for them. With plans to buy a home together, get a dog, and organise their wedding for late 2011, Jason is also taking on a brand new role presenting the breakfast show for Classic Hits alongside Stacey oorrison, which will mean very early starts for the former New Zealand’s Got Talent judge.

But Jason and Louise, who share a love of travelling and shopping, can’t hide their excitement about the big challenges and their new union. “I just can’t believe my luck,” says Jason, smiling at his new fiancée. “I know that’s really cheesy, but nothing is an issue for Louise, nothing fazes her.”

“And he just makes me so happy, he makes me laugh every day,” Louise adds. “You wait a long time to meet the right person, and to know when you finally do, that it’s worth the wait.”

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