YouTube sensation MrBeast has announced his engagement to Thea Booysen.
The social media star, 26, whose real name is James Donaldson, popped the question to gaming streamer Booysen, 27, on Christmas Day.
MrBeast, whose channel has the highest number of YouTube subscribers in the world with 340 million, has been dating Booysen since 2022.
he said People: ‘My family flew from South Africa for Christmas and we were going to celebrate Christmas at our house, so both families were here. We were opening gifts and then for the last gift, he asked me to close my eyes because it was a surprise.
‘I intentionally dropped a large box to make a noise before presenting the real gift, with the ring inside. And then I got down on one knee and proposed to her.
‘I was trying to think of the best way to catch her off guard so it would be a surprise. Thea is very close to her family, so I wanted to make sure they were included in this momentous occasion. Christmas was great because they were in town from the other side of the world.’
YouTube sensation MrBeast has announced his engagement to Thea Booysen – pictured December 18
Unlike her spectacular videos, the star said she wanted the proposal to be intimate.
The Booysen ring is a “beautiful” diamond on a rose gold band with additional diamonds on each side.
The pair first connected when MrBeast visited Booysen’s native South Africa when a mutual friend invited them both to dinner.
The couple are now excitedly planning a tropical wedding and, after a holiday to Richard Branson’s Necker Island, have been inspired for their big day.
MrBeast said: “We’re thinking about doing it somewhere on an island where we’re away from almost everyone.” We’re not going to try to have a big, extravagant wedding.
In 2022, Thea opened up about their blossoming romance.
She said: ‘Coming out as Mr Beast’s (girlfriend) gave me a lot of anxiety. You hear common sayings like, “Oh, she’ll break his heart” or “She’ll be a gold digger.”
But the streamer explained that she tries not to take the negative comments seriously, since the haters ‘don’t even know her.’
“I don’t take it at all seriously, I know this is the process that will take place and of course people will assume the worst,” he continued. ‘They don’t even know me.’
The social media star, 26, whose real name is James Donaldson, popped the question to gaming streamer Booysen, 27, on Christmas Day.
The couple are now excitedly planning a tropical wedding and, after a holiday to Richard Branson’s Necker Island, have been inspired for their big day.
The couple first went public with their relationship in March 2022, when she shared a snap of them together on her Instagram, which she captioned: ‘Mr. Beast and Beast’, next to a heart.
They made their red carpet debut in April, when they attended the Kids’ Choice Awards in Los Angeles.
Beast was previously linked to fellow influencer Maddy Spidell, whom he dated for three years before splitting in early 2022.