Rita Ora reveals she proposed to her husband
"I would rather mop the ocean." Fans react to Rita Ora getting down on one knee to pop the question.
Rita Ora made a shocking revelation during a recent interview.
The British singer revealed that she proposed to her husband, New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi.
"Oh, yeah. Absolutely! I went and I got it. I did it, I asked him to marry me," Ora told Davina McCall on the 'Better Again' podcast.
While Ora and Waititi met in 2018, they reportedly only started dating in 2021. Rumours about their engagement surfaced in 2022.
Everyone assumed Waititi popped the question, but the 'Body On Me' singer planned the whole thing.
"I got the bands made. I didn't want anything too flashy. I got some bands made that have something really personal attached to them inside that only we know about," she told McCall.
"We were in LA. I rented out a hotel room in Palm Springs or something like that. A really nice fancy one. Filled it up with balloons and cake, which is my favourite thing in the world."
The balloons and the cake were heart-shaped.
"Because I am basically doing what I would have wanted for my proposal."
ALSO READ: WATCH: Couple get engaged outside of PEP?!
The 34-year-old added that she was holding the cake as she proposed.
"He walks into the room and he's like, 'What the hell. Is it Valentine's Day?' I'm like, 'No!' Anyway, I get down on one knee."
McCall praised her "girl power" moment.
"I always get so excited for doing things out of the norm. I don't want to be boring. I like to keep things as a surprise, and there is nobody more than Taika that absolutely loved it. Loved every minute of it. He's a Leo, so it's all about him," Ora laughed.
She admitted that she had no idea whether he would say yes.
"He has his own story with his experiences in that sense. So, I was like, maybe he doesn't want it. Maybe he's okay to just be in a relationship, which was fine with me too, but I just wanted to lock him down."
Thankfully, he said yes because that would have been super awkward.
"He said, 'Absolutely. What the hell, get up.'"
Rita Ora tells the ‘Begin Again’ podcast she proposed to husband Taika Waititi and even got down on one knee. pic.twitter.com/gzT5ELt421
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) June 28, 2025
They got married at home a couple of months later. Her parents couldn't make it and had to watch the ceremony via Zoom.
"Poor parents, but we have always promised them a huge party, which we still will do."
Sadly, very few saw the romantic moment as "girl power". There were mixed reactions to Ora's proposal.
"I will rather mop the ocean all my life 🤦🏽♀️," an Instagram user said. Another user remarked, "An archaeologist couldn’t dig that story out of me, baby 😂."
A third joked: "If I get down on one knee for a man, just know I either fell or was pushed 😭😂."
The comments weren't very supportive on X either.
"The only woman I know who proposed to her husband ended up divorced. If he wanted to get married, he would’ve asked."
"This is def something she should’ve kept to herself."
There were some positive comments. "Rita breaking gender roles, we love to see it!"
Ora was previously linked to Rob Kardashian, Bruno Mars and Calvin Harris.
Watch Ora's full interview with McCall below.
For the latest podcast or catch-up content from East Coast Radio, look no further. Find all our bespoke podcasts here, including African Story Magic with Gcina Mhlophe. Plus, listen to ECR interviews; the latest news, traffic and sports reports.
HOW TO LISTEN TO EAST COAST RADIO
1. Listen to East Coast Radio on the FM (frequency modulation) spectrum between 94 and 95 FM on your radio.
2. Listen live to ECR by clicking here or download the ECR App (iOS/Android).
3. Listen to East Coast Radio on the DStv audio bouquet, channel 836.
4. Switch to the audio bouquet on your Openview decoder and browse to channel 606
5. Listen to us on Amazon Alexa.
Follow us on social media:
· TikTok
MORE FROM EAST COAST RADIO:
Main image credit: Instagram/@ritaora