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Soccer legend Gerry Armstrong will marry his gorgeous model fiancee Debbie
McConnell on a beach in Thailand next month.
The former Northern Ireland international surprised his girlfriend with a
stunning solitaire engagement ring in front of a packed Windsor Park stadium
on Saturday night.
Hundreds of local and German fans cheered as Northern Ireland's assistant
manager announced his wedding plans from the pitch, 45 minutes before
kick-off.
But no-one was more stunned than Debbie, who thought she was there to
bring her niece to the Northern Ireland v Germany game as a birthday
present.
"She was slightly gobsmacked," Gerry said yesterday.
"I announced that I had an engagement ring for her and pulled the box out
- all the fans cheered.
"It's the only time I've seen her lost for words."
Gerry, a Sky Sports commentator, had been planning the engagement
surprise for weeks.
"We'd planned to get married a couple of months ago, but Debbie didn't
really want an engagement ring - she was happy enough just to get married,"
he said.
"Although, personally I didn't think it was right.
"So over the last seven weeks I've been organising to get her an
engagement ring in secret."
Gerry asked a friend, who is a jeweller, to design a ring especially for
Debbie - the result is a stunning 3.5 carat diamond ring, set in platinum.
Now the engagement is official, the pair are forging ahead with plans for
a fairytale wedding on a white sandy beach in the beautiful resort of
Hua Hin in
Thailand next month.
"We're going off on July 10, first to
Bangkok and then to
Hua
Hin to have our wedding on the beach," Gerry said.
"We wanted to go away with no fuss and just have some family and friends
there."
On their return, the happy couple will throw a celebration party for
family and friends in Cultra Manor, at the Ulster Folk Museum.
Gerry (50), and Debbie, (29), have been an item for a year and have lived
together for the past three months after buying a house near Crawfordsburn,
Co Down.
The former football star says their age difference has never been an
issue.
"Debbie's a very mature person and we've always got on so well together,"
he said. "We're very happy, very much in love and we just want to get on
with our lives and enjoy ourselves."
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