Fifty-year-old comedian Dane Cook is engaged to his 23-year-old girlfriend of five years, Kelsi Taylor, he announced Tuesday.
Cook proposed to Taylor on July 13, in spite of their 27-year age difference. “I was asking my best friend, the woman who I’ve shared some of the greatest times of my life with, to marry me so we can start the next chapter our of lives together. I was also thinking of how absolutely stunning she looked,” Cook told People.
Taylor, a dedicated fitness instructor, described the whirlwind of emotions she felt during the moment actor Cook asked for her hand in marriage. “The second he began to reach for his back pocket, my stomach flipped. I couldn’t have asked for the moment to have been more perfect,” Taylor said.
Taylor credited Cook for putting together the perfect proposal. “The fact that he had been planning this for months, designed the ring and coordinated everything so seamlessly without me knowing was just blowing my mind. It was such a pinch-me moment,” Taylor said, according to People.
The big moment took place at a spot in York Beach, Maine, which is very meaningful to Cook. “When we started dating, we went there on our first trip together so to return five years later was meaningful to us,” Cook said. He went on to reveal the significance of this location as being one full of childhood memories and shared a story about the deep connection he felt to the specific spot he selected for his proposal. (RELATED: Jared Goff Gets Engaged To His Girlfriend Christen Harper)
The significant age difference between them didn’t seem to be a stumbling point for the happy couple.”I was so ready to ask her. I was completely zen about it,” Cook told People.
In fact, the newly engaged couple has already expressed their desire to start a family together. Cook says he and Taylor have made “a ton of plans” and “set a lot of goals” for their future, according to People.
“Family has always been such an important part of my life and the idea of expanding it and starting our own family together with the man of my dreams just fills my heart,” Taylor said.
It appears Taylor’s family is supportive of her plans to marry Cook. “My family loves him so much so they were beyond excited for us,” Taylor said, according to People.
“I’m about to spend the rest of my life with my favorite person and my best friend — what is there to not look forward to?” Taylor said.