Tim Tebow, 31, is engaged to beauty queen Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, 23

Over the years, I’ve sort of softened on Tim Tebow. Tebow became famous as college football player (he won the Heisman) and then in the NFL, where he had a spotty career which fizzled out circa 2015, if not earlier. We’ve been hearing his name for so long, I thought he was much older, but he’s only 31 years. In addition to his football career, he’s also famously VERY churchy and Evangelical, and he was even known for praying on the football field. He also made public statements about saving himself for marriage. It would have been a nice story for the Duggar-types if he had married young and started a family, but as he went through several famous girlfriends – Olivia Culpo, Camilla Belle – I actually began to wonder if it wasn’t about the sex or lack of it, but maybe there was just something “off” about Tebow. But as I said, I’ve sort of softened on him. Maybe it really has taken him this long to find his perfect mate: a 23-year-old named Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters. Tebow proposed to Demi-Leigh this week:

Tim Tebow has asked girlfriend Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters to marry him — and she said yes! The former NFL quarterback proposed to Nel-Peters at sunset on Wednesday at his family’s farm outside of Jacksonville, Florida, PEOPLE can exclusively reveal. The couple strolled along the property, and stopped next to a small lake, where Tebow had installed an arbor and a specially made bench that was engraved with the date the couple first met.

For about five minutes, Tebow and Nel-Peters talked about their relationship and its future in hushed tones before Tebow, 31, dropped to one knee. “Demi Leigh Nel-Peters, I love you,” he said. “Demi Leigh Nel-Peters, will you marry me?” As Nel-Peters said yes, Tebow slipped a 7.25-carat solitaire ring on her finger. “This ring is internally flawless,” he said. “Just like you.”

Then Tebow had another surprise. South African singer Matthew Mole stepped out from behind a hay bale and serenaded the couple with “The Wedding Song,” one of their favorite songs. The proposal was a family affair. Tebow had secretly flown Nel-Peters’ family and closest friends from South Africa to Florida to witness the engagement. His parents, siblings and friends were also on hand for the exciting moment. The invitees watched the proposal from a distance and out of view from Nel-Peters — who didn’t suspect a thing.

“I actually wasn’t really nervous,” Tebow tells PEOPLE. “I was excited. I wanted everything to be perfect and to go smoothly. But I wasn’t nervous to actually ask her.”

Tebow tells PEOPLE that he’s looking forward to planning the wedding. “I’m sure she’s got some great ideas,” he says. “It’s going to be really exciting, and I can’t wait.” Adds Nel-Peters: “I’m so excited for the wedding, and I can’t wait to spend forever with Tim.”

[From People]

23 years old, presumably never slept with her fiance and she can’t wait to spend “forever” with him? I mean, sure, maybe she’s really that wholesome. It happens. Frankly, I’m more suspicious of the fact that People Magazine got this huge exclusive, completely with exclusive quotes from both of them. It makes me think that they’re in the market for a reality show. How much you wanna bet?

Also: my first thought was “how fast did this happen?” They’ve apparently been dating seriously since…last July. So, it didn’t happen overnight, but it’s still pretty fast.

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97 Responses to “Tim Tebow, 31, is engaged to beauty queen Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, 23”

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  1. Bryn says:

    I can’t imagine marrying someone who’s never had sex, it must suck to enter a marriage with no experience. I’d say the wedding will be very soon if he’s still save his virginity for it.

    • onerous says:

      I was raised fairly religiously – save yourself for marriage and all that – but only real wonks actually kept that bargain. I think it was actually a genius ploy to at least get us to wait until we were out of high school, which I still don’t think is a bad idea.

      That being said – I talk to my own kids all the time about the importance of knowing yourself sexually and having lots of experiences before marriage. It’s critical, in my opinion! We talk a lot about creating those experiences on their own terms and how to be smart and safe with their bodies and their emotions. These people who wait til marriage… I just don’t understand how that’s supposed to work and the people I know who did it have really, really struggled after marriage.

      • Bryn says:

        Yes! Open and honest conversation, and education, it’s the best thing we can do for our kids now to prepare them for the future. I’m not trying to speak for everyone here (I feel it’s important to point that out before someone takes this personally), but I think sex is one of the most important things to a relationship, and educating young people about sex and everything that comes with it is so important. My mother had no problem talking to me about it when I was a teen. She had her first child at 16 and she didn’t want the same for me. She grew up with the wait until marriage approach and a lot of time that doesn’t work. When I was 15 I told her that I had a boyfriend and was probably going to start a physical relationship soon and I wanted to be ready so there were no mistakes. She got me to the doctor for birth control, it was so great of her. I had girlfriends at the time who were so afraid to talk to their mothers about it because they would just get yelled at and grounded, still didn’t stop them from having sex, just made it more dangerous.

        But like I said, I’m not trying to speak for anyone else, to each their own. Wish Tim tebow all the best, and I’m hoping they aren’t like the duggars and will continually pop out baby after baby lol

      • Mstak says:

        Glad to be a real wonk.

      • Nikki says:

        I waited until marriage, and it worked out fine for me: my husband and I still have a wonderful, active sex life in our 60’s! I’m a combination of physical, emotional, and spiritual, so I wanted sharing sex to encompass my entire being, and to be shared with someone who was sharing his entire self and future with me. I think a lot of people who say wait are actually against sex, but I think our way was wonderful. I have thought a lot about slut shaming, etc., and whether it’s politically incorrect or not, I think it’s a bit sad when a woman OR a man sleeps with someone just to relieve a physical itch. It’s just mutually using each other, instead of giving each other your heart, soul, and body joyfully; it may feel marvelous, but I just don’t think it has the depth or the safety of a committed relationship. My husband and I still try new things, because we have a level of trust and humor together.

      • isabelle says:

        Waiting till you married is as much as of choice as any sexual choice. By your theory a lot of our grandmothers were wonks and millions of women in other traditions. Some places it is still traditional to wait. It is often cultural, for religious purposes, introversion, lack of dating, a history of sexual abuse or just plain personal choices. Some zealots may abide by it but not everyone following it are wonks. Calling them wonks….gonna disagree.

      • Himmiefan says:

        So you just insulted a whole lot of people…

    • Queen Frostine's Original Face says:

      I will be 30 next month. I am still a virgin. Not because of religious beliefs or anything like that; if anything; it’s largely due to being shy and introverted. I’ve only had one boyfriend (at ages 24-25, so yeah, I was VERY late!), but the sex part never happened because at first, I wasn’t ready yet (I was nervous!), it was largely long-distance anyway, and then I got an out of state job even further away and things didn’t work out. It’s hard not to feel like a loser sometimes, but I am finally trying to accept that I can’t change my past and that it’s not too late for me.

      My point? While I absolutely respect Christians like Tim Tebow who really do want to save sex for marriage (although I said side-eye MANY other of their stances, namely on women’s rights), I hate how the religious aspect of remaining a virgin overshadows those where it just wound up kind of happening, and NOT necessarily because we’re ugly or anything like that (although it’s crossed my mind about me sometimes, haha). And women get it worse, because of the incel assholes online, too. I wish that this whole thing wasn’t so stigmatized.

      *ahem*

      Anyway, yeah, I definitely wouldn’t wait until marriage, even now. But I do sometimes worry that my being an older non-religious virginal woman will keep men away fro me forever. At the same time, though, I’m trying to change my attitude and not lose hope, and even feel weirdly empowered, because I’m almost 30 and I’ve had interesting experiences in terms of my career and travel that DIDN’T involve sex. We’ll see! 🙂

      • Steff says:

        Virginity is a make believe social construct and it’s nothing to be ashamed of at whatever age. Just the same as it’s ok to have a lot of sex with multiple partners. People should mind their own f*ing business.

      • Ama says:

        Dear Queen,
        I have a friend who was a virgin because of – well, it just never happened – timing, circumstances, meeting the wrong men, etc. Short after her 40th birthday, she met the right man (her new neighbor) and fell in love and she didn’t feel embarassed to tell him he would be her first, because – I guess – he was the right man. His reaction: “well then I will be your prince!” That was that, no big deal for him.
        Same will happen to you, if you believe it! Your prince will come.

      • Louise says:

        Why is it “sad” to mutually “ scratch an itch” If both are willing and respectful? As a nurse I recommend it. It’s a healthy and emotionally and physically healing experience which the body and brain respond to positively. “Scratching an itch” is just as good for the mind, body and soul as bonded pair sex is on many levels. Maybe not the same intense emotional experience but definitely not “sad”.

      • Clare says:

        @Queen – I hope you haven’t been made to feel ashamed about your sexual history or lack thereof. There is NOTHING wrong with being a virgin and 30. Nothing. Honestly, I think you’d be surprised by how many women your age are still sexually inactive – they are, often, shamed into hiding it because of the narrative that a 30 year old who is sexually inactive must be a prude/loser whatever.
        You do you!!

      • Himmiefan says:

        I like what Steff said, that virginity is just a social construct. There’s nothing mystical/magical about never having had sex or by having had sex.

  2. Who ARE these people? says:

    So staged, it doesn’t sound real.

  3. Clare says:

    “This ring is internally flawless,” he said. “Just like you.”

    Wait. He said this as part of the proposal????? GAG.

    • Lindy says:

      Oh my god, that was the part that made me choke. Gross. It sounds like a DeBeers ad. Plus, if you marry someone thinking they’re flawless you’re going to have a rough go. Everyone has flaws.

      • josephine says:

        Maybe he got a deal on the ring for slipping that line in? Wonder if he named the jeweler in the People spread.

        I really try to live and let live, but the idea of a People spread for an engagement strikes me as kinda awful. Every thing about it seemed artificial. But he does strike me as super immature, so maybe the magazine-type engagement is his idea of wonderful, and if so, power to him and to them as a couple.

      • Honey bear says:

        Right??!! Dating six months. Never lived together. Never had sex. You don’t even know this woman and the only thing you’ve seen of her is the polished perfection that she chose to show you. How many years until they get divorced??

      • Ama says:

        Maybe “the itch” betwen his legs finally got tooo unbearbale 😉

      • Wiglet Watcher says:

        Lindy
        Omg yes. It’s the flaws we accept and love as part of a whole.

        I thought it was well proven tebow was not a virgin. After he made the claim an awful lot of campus ladies in a few states he was known to be in knew they slept with him.
        This dude… get ready for the preachy thirst again and then rumors

    • Toocan-Anj says:

      Right? It is a line right out of the Evangelical purity culture. She is flawless because she is pure, which leaves no room for her to be angry, or struggle, or sexual. That phrase infuriated me, because I grew up in that culture.

      • Clare says:

        But also…why the F are you talking about the freaking ring while proposing? ‘This ring is 357 carats and cost me £23 billion!’ Ew.

      • CheckThatPrivilege says:

        OK, I wondered if that was some kind of evangelical code phrase, because it’s such an odd and rather dehumanizing way to describe to a human being. Thanks for explaining.

        I’d be so pissed if my fiance staged our engagement as a People spread without my prior knowledge and consent. Assuming she wasn’t in on it from the get-go, that’s neither romantic nor respecting the other person as a true partner.

      • Kitten says:

        Ah shit. Good call. I hadn’t even thought of the Evangelical relevance to that phrase, just thought it was corny AF.

      • Himmiefan says:

        Exactly. Purity is about the state of your heart, not about the state of your privates (and no one is really “pure.” Just something else to guilt people about so they’ll buy more books, buy more tickets to Christian conferences, etc).

    • launicaangelina says:

      On the flip side, my ring is full of internal flaws, just like me!

    • Kitten says:

      Hahaha IKR? I literally held back chunks when I got to that part. Ugh.

  4. RBC says:

    When did people start professional filming/photographing their engagement? Or is it just attention seeking celebrities who do it? I can’t think of a single person among my family and friends who have done that.
    This is for a reality show

    • Millennial says:

      My SIL and her fiancé did. Well, he did, since he planned it. It was very similar to this — with decorations, a photographer, and their families were there to witness it.

      I dunno. Maybe I’m an engagement grinch but I thought it was all a bit over the top. What’s the point of a proposal? Surely in 2019, for most people, the decision to get married is a joint decision and the woman should not be taken by surprise. Ergo, why do people still do propsals?

      But I know I’m an engagement grinch because we didn’t do an engagement ring either. Not that we didn’t have the money, or had our nose in the air about diamonds, I just thought there were better things to spend the money on.

    • Liz version 700 says:

      My engagement occurred in the living room. One of my cats marched in and started howling for dinner making my hudband and I crack up, those would have made great pictures lol

      • RBC says:

        My ex and I had gone for a walk in the park. He then stepped in a pile of dog poop. When he was angrily trying to wipe it off his shoe, he muttered “ I had planned for this to be perfect for when I asked you to marry me”
        I should have taken that as a hint the marriage would be shit…

      • smcollins says:

        lol Mine happened in the kitchen after dinner as we were about to head out for some Italian ice. He was planning to do it on a different day with a more romantic setting, but decided he wanted to do it right then instead. He definitely caught me by surprise, though (I wasn’t expecting a proposal at all)!

      • Kitten says:

        LOL I’m so here for these REAL engagement stories.

    • Nikki says:

      My first thought was it’s sad that they want to film such a private, intensely meaningful moment for public consumption. A lot of younger people I know always have one eye on cultivating their media image. It dismays me.

    • minx says:

      I don’t get proposals in front of a bunch of people. Don’t they want it to be private, between just the two of them?

  5. cannibell says:

    That’s a lot of hyphens. As to the rest, mazal tov, kids. You’re old enough to figure out your honeymoon night. {Leaves room}

  6. Nina says:

    Now the rumours Tim Tebow and Jana Duggar would marry, can be laid to rest. *eyeroll*

  7. Eric says:

    At least this lady can pare down her haiku-stanza name to a manageable 4 syllables by going with

    Demi Tebow

  8. Adrien says:

    well, uh! I guess, congrats! Demi is so pretty. Fisrt Olivia now Demi-Leigh. He’s like the Leo di Caprio of Miss Universe winners.

  9. Emily says:

    He shares two ex-girlfriends with the Jonas Brothers. Figures. I thought he was still with Olivia Culpa for some reason and the proposal was in response to the three thousands Nick and Priyanka weddings. This is far less interesting.

    • Lightpurple says:

      Olivia has been with Danny Amendola for several years, although they just broke up in recent months.

      • Millennial says:

        Danny Amendola, now there’s a football player that’s an actual catch (at least looks wise – Tebow never did it for me). Actually all the Pats wide receivers together would make an excellent calendar, is all I’m saying.

      • Lightpurple says:

        I miss Danny. I think the team does too.

      • Kitten says:

        Yes if only we had kept Jimmy G on the team and it would be a perfect calendar. Sigh.

      • Victoria says:

        I’m here for the calendar even tho I’m a lowly jets fan. So I took “fantasy” out of fantasy football literally and would pick Amendola, Edelman and Garoppolo on my team. No shame!

  10. Beth says:

    Nothing seems personal, private or special anymore, because everything in people’s lives is now recorded and put on social media for everyone in the world watch immediately. Glad she said yes, because with the singer walking from the hay, saying the ring was ‘flawless like her,’ brought family and friends, recording it all, it would be sad and embarrassing if she didn’t want to marry him

  11. Nene says:

    I like that he is strong in his beliefs and is open and unashamed about being a virgin. He seems sweet and sincere, I wish them the best

  12. NicNic says:

    We shouldn’t be softened towards this man. He took a knee, just like Kapernick, but against abortion and was lauded a hero.

    • Bryn says:

      Did that really happen?

    • L84Tea says:

      That knee was not for abortion. He was praying. At the time when he was playing and that was going on, he was always open about that what he was doing was praying. The abortion knee rumor was manufactured after the Kapernick knee controversy began.

      • Lightpurple says:

        Actually, no. The abortion knee story has been around since at least when he started professional football. The story is that he was a miracle baby because doctors told his mother the pregnancy wasn’t viable and she should abort but she refused and prayed and a Heisman Trophy winner was born to save us all and he kneeled to give thanks for not being aborted.

      • TheOriginalMia says:

        His mom was slated to star in one of those “I could have aborted Tim because there were complications, but I didn’t and look where we are now” ads during the Super Bowl. After much outcry, it never aired. But Tim was lauded for taking a knee in prayer while Colin and many others have been vilified for fighting for racial justice.

      • Bryn says:

        @theoriginal

        thats ridiculous. The fact that the nil doesn’t see the hypocrisy is mind blowing. Reminds me of a story I read this morning from tarant county Texas. People were trying to oust a GOP leader because he was a Muslim and they said he couldn’t do the job because not everyone there approved of Islam. Like what the f? These are probably the same people fighting to be able to discriminate against gay people because of “religious freedom”.

      • Victoria says:

        @OGMia that commercial did air tho, I’m not sure if it was during the Super Bowl but I remember seeing it on tv.

  13. Lolly says:

    What would be “off” about him though? He’s admitted he’s saving himself for marriage. Doesn’t mean he’s not going to date. I personally wouldn’t do it, but I’m not going to judge him for his beliefs if they aren’t hurting anyone else.

    • Lightpurple says:

      He was extremely close to Aaron Hernandez, who was bisexual and extremely conflicted and secretive about it.

      • Bryn says:

        So that makes him “off”? Not sure what you are getting at there

      • Molly says:

        I wouldn’t say “off”, but I would say inauthentic. I think he’s been praying away the gay for a very long time.

      • Lightpurple says:

        What Molly said.

      • RuddyZooKeeper says:

        So what? Are confidently straight people forbidden from being friends with homosexual or questioning people of the same sex? My hetero son’s two best friends are both gay young men. And I just found out two of his close female friends have just recently come out. So what? Doesn’t make him gay, and doesn’t make them straight. I happen to think because my kid accepts everyone for who they are and judges by actions not labels that he draws people who crave that comfort to him (these are teenagers, so I’m taking about the self consciousness and self doubt that comes with that age group, no matter how you identify). Who knows, maybe Tebow has that same magnetism and he and Hernandez just clicked. Odder couples have happened. But really, so what?

      • Nikki says:

        If you mean he was trying to “pray the gay away”, that would be sad indeed. But you don’t know that. Not all Christians are like the hate filled right! Maybe he was a close friend, encouraging him that God loves him exactly as he is. I can only hope!

      • Nene says:

        How does befriending a gay/bisexual person equate to you being gay? That’s absurd. And what makes you think he’s been ‘”trying to pray the gay away”, I’m sure you must have some compelling evidence to support that statement

      • Kitten says:

        I mean, it’s a gossip blog. People are gonna gossip. And the rumors about Tebow’s sexuality have been around for a LONG time. Whether it’s true or not, let’s not clutch our pearls over the possibility that an overtly religious athlete may be a closeted homosexual. It’s more common than you might think.

    • Himmiefan says:

      Blind items have suggested that he’s closeted, but then again, they say that about every celebrity.

  14. Nina says:

    This can only be topped by the public proposal in front of a train station, next to a bus station, a few centimeters from a gutter.

  15. Lizzie says:

    if you think about it – july to january is a pretty lengthy contract negotiation.

  16. Jay says:

    Her name has too many hyphens.

  17. ThatBlackGirl says:

    Speaking as a 34 year old virgin. Men make fast decisions when they cant get the cookies out of the jar. I like Tebow.

  18. Michael says:

    Tim is probably going to be playing in the Major Leagues this year so I doubt he will have time for a reality show

  19. ItReallyIsYou,NotMe says:

    I have only had intercourse with my husband, although we weren’t married when we started (at 22). It wasn’t for religious reasons at the time, it was because I wanted my first time to be special and I happened to marry the first person who met that criteria. I am 39 and don’t regret that decision at all because we have grown together in that way. Yes, we have had to have discussions about our sex life, but no more so than any other couple who has been together long-term. I am religious now and I wouldn’t feel like a hypocrite to tell my children (boys and girls) that in the end it’s their choice what to do, but they can save themselves a lot of heartache and trouble by saving it until they meet the person they want to marry.

    • Kitten says:

      My mom was exactly the same as you and my parents have been married for 50 years. So it definitely works for some.
      That being said, I could never do it. I learned so much about myself through my sexual experiences with men and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

      In the end, it’s much easier for me to understand it as a personal choice rather than a religious decision. I don’t think any woman should feel obligated to save their virginity because, God. But I absolutely understand and respect it as a choice that one makes for his/herself.

  20. Lila says:

    Congrats Tim, your finally going to get laid.

  21. Winnie Cooper's Mom says:

    I can’t believe he shares 2 exes with the Jonas Bros. LOL.. that being said, I side-eye his relationship with Olivia Culpo. Like are we supposed to believe they were legit dating and never actually slept together? Not only is her IG hyper-sexual in a lot of shots (nothing wrong w that, it’s her prerogative), but also the songs Nick Jonas would write about her and their sexuality together… and then she goes from dating that to a virgin?! I just do not buy it. Not that I care about his virginity in itself, but the self-righteousness he put out there about it… side-eyeing all of this.

  22. AnneliseR says:

    Look, I don’t love his conservatism or religious beliefs, but it’s a free country, right? I think he sincerely tries to do the right thing and admire his involvement in charity. I was raised in a similar evangelical subculture, and I’m happy to have left it behind but understand the appeal–I will always miss the sense of belonging that came with it, but it also seems obviously untrue to me. (I say this as a liberal Christian.) I’m sure the brand of evangelicalism in which he was raised feels completely true to him, and as long as he’s not going out there and urging that we build the wall or whatever, I’m not going to be upset at him for having different beliefs than mine. He’s probably not one of the great minds of his generation, but I appreciate his sincerity.

    I wouldn’t know this if I hadn’t googled her, but his fiancé is multiracial and has a sister who has a severe disability. Tebow is involved in charitable work for those with disabilities, so I think that might be part of what they have in common.

    • me says:

      Exactly. Who is he hurting? If he was some guy that dated a different girl every week and had five different “baby mamas”, people would be saying all sorts of things about him too. Either way the guy can’t win.

  23. Katie Keen says:

    Wow, 23. I did not even know who I was at that age.

    ETA: Oh, I get it. He had to find someone who was ALSO a virgin. Because…lord forbid, right?

    Seriously not impressed.

  24. SpillDatT says:

    Fake News.

    (srsly does anyone believe this is isn’t staged?)

  25. Michel says:

    Sure, Jan.

  26. Lindy says:

    I’m so not here for any of the religious purity cult stuff. It’s inherently, unavoidably one of the worst parts of a patriarchal system that demonizes healthy sexuality (especially female sexuality). I grew up with some of this and married into a family that was zealously into this, and at 42 I’m finally recovering from the damage it’s done. (Divorcing the ex helped, plus lots of therapy). I don’t see a single thing here that’s aspirational or positive.

  27. Anastasia says:

    I really don’t think he’s still a virgin.

  28. Miss Melissa says:

    He is deeply closeted and tries to pray the gay away.

  29. Original Jenns says:

    All I have is, they went for a stroll around the farm dressed like that??? And yet, it was a surprise??

  30. Cate says:

    I can’t with this contrived cheesy proposal of thumper Tim. Whatevs, I wish them well.

  31. BANANIE says:

    This is all very odd to me. I guess it’s because my mom was, shall we say, proactive when it came to discussions about sexuality and sexual health.

    It wasn’t just an “I’ll take you to get birth control” scenario. It was like “never, under any circumstances, wait until marriage. In fact, don’t even marry the first guy you sleep with, if you can avoid it.”

    Granted, she first married young and has since had two divorces. But I think it was actually bad for me in the long run, and I think I started having sex considerably earlier than I was ready to (looking back.) This is always rough. Teaching and talking about that kind of stuff as a parent sounds really, really tough.

  32. me says:

    It’s a personal choice. No need to judge. There’s nothing wrong with being a virgin no matter how old you are in age. That doesn’t mean there’s something “wrong” with you. It could be due to cultural norms, religious reasons, or simply wanting to only be with one person your whole life….or you just haven’t found the right person yet. Some people have a fear of pregnancy or STD’s, etc. Some have a fear of intimacy. Maybe to some sex just isn’t that important. Ever think of that?

  33. Littlefishmom says:

    Her name is so annoying. Sounds like a town in Florida where Trump vacations.

  34. HeyThere! says:

    Damn I’m late to the game but is his definition of sex ‘p in the v’? Or 69, aka oral sex? I’m just curious of his definition of sex.