Heartbreak hotel: Celebrity engagements have not lead to marriage yet

 L-R: Martin Kimathi with ex-fiance Sharon Mwangi, Willis Raburu and Sally Mbilu, Daddy Owen with Farida Wambui

It was a memorable proposal, that of TV hunk Willis Raburu and his heartthrob Sally Mbilu. The romantic in him is said to have gone down on one knee and popped the magic question. She said ‘yes’. And he popped a Sh100,000 engagement ring. That was in 2014.

From then they started posting photos together and even sharing love messages on social media. One of the best memories was posted just some few days before Valentine’s Day last year as Sally celebrated her birthday.

“Happy birthday to my kindred soul @sallymbilu. Every day is a celebration with you in my life,” Willis commented on Instagram.

Since pressure has been mounting on social media with bloggers alluding that the two might not be together anymore. Willis is reported to have said that the wedding was to take place in 2015, but that was never to be.

When asked if the two were still an item during an interview last week, Willis only said he had heard rumours of a break up from a blog. He said he had no comment. Sally, who is known to be media shy, was not available for comment.

Because of celebrity status, many artistes and TV personalities often endure public scrutiny over their private affairs. Whether it is about their individual issues, family or work, the spotlight is always on them as gossip columnists hunt for articles that the public like to read. And it is not always about the good stories.

When Adelle Onyango broke up with her fiancé after two years of her engagement, she had to go through professional counselling due to the heartbreak and since, she has never opened up to speak about what happened to their love affair.

In the last one year or so, love seems to be in the air as many celebrities have come out speaking about their engagements and curiosity has remained high about some of them.

Among those who got proposed to was Capital Lifestyle’s Sharon Mundia, a much talked-about sensational affair that saw her boyfriend take her on a chopper trip to Mount Kenya where it all happened. Sharon’s unprecedented proposal took many guys by surprise as she is one beauty many had eyes on. That was in May and everyone seems to be all ears for the sound of their wedding bells.

Another TV girl and top actress Sarah Hassan also got proposed to by her boyfriend Martin Dale in October, an affair the two announced on social media. The two took off to the United States the other day, where Sarah is now undergoing her studies. This is another couple everyone has their eyes on. Besides, Sarah, being a gorgeous career girl who has achieved success both in acting and TV left many hearts broken. Some, perhaps, still hope the announcement can be reversed.

Even more to this, it is gospel star Daddy Owen and his fiancée Farida Wambui who have had everyone waiting. The two were expected to tie the knot last year as everything seemed to have fallen in place. Since then, Daddy Owen and Farida have not been shy to talk about their love affair. Sources have it that Daddy Owen, who promised to share his detailed plans for the wedding, has been discussing with their families on how they can have a small wedding targeting family members and close friends only. This is as opposed to what their hundreds of fans would expect on a day like this.

It was only last month when fast-rising comedian and radio host Chipukeezy unveiled his girlfriend Vivian whom he proposed to during a birthday date held at Villa Rosa Kempinski. The comedian had hinted that he would make the big announcement and when it came, it left many hopeful lovers heartbroken.

And talking about heartbreaks, there is Martin Kimanthi, a city hunk who went on one knee last year, asking Sharon Mwangi’s hand in marriage only for the two to part ways months later. For the few lucky ones who find true love online, this seemed to be the case with Martin, the fine guy behind Teen Republik and the beautiful blogger and stylist Sharon Mwangi.

That was last year and eight months after hitting it up on social media, the two were engaged. The soft-spoken TV presenter and the brand ambassador of From Hopes and Dreams youth motivational programme came out to set the record straight after he confessed that the couple were no longer an item to the shock of many who shared the joy after photos of the two dominated social media.

“It felt right and we were in love so I proposed,” Martin told Pulse as he revealed the circumstances that lead to the rushed engagement.

He admitted that the fairy tale did not last. The engagement had to be called off last month.

“No, no one cheated on the other as some people would rush to assume. Ours was a mutual understanding that we should go slow and call off the engagement. We were both at different places and we wanted to pursue different issues. “With her projects and school going on, there was too much so we both agreed to call it off. But we are still friends only that we are not together,” Martin confirms the broken engagement further stating that he is a single man who is now ready to mingle. After the engagement was called off critics were quick to blame Sharon, the young blogger in her early 20’s. Some said she was only dating Martin because of his media connections as she only wanted to use his influence to make her brand popular. Accusations that Martin refutes.

He defends their union saying that it was the real deal. “It was genuine love. We loved each other and cared for each other deeply. She wasn’t using me but I was helping her. If you meet Sharon you will know the kind of person she is. She is a wonderful person. We fell in love and it grew from there,” he told Pulse.

“It is not like I am in a rush looking for another girlfriend. I am taking one day at a time regardless the small upset and fall back,” he concludes.