Sailing off to their happily ever after! Below Deck‘s Ben Robinson is engaged to girlfriend Kiara Cabral after more than three years of dating, Us Weekly can exclusively reveal.
“I pulled all of my friends and family into this wonderful love affair, and with their help we are now proudly engaged and I look forward to a life of love and laughter with the lovely Kiara,” Robinson, 42, told Us on Wednesday, May 10, about popping the question to Cabral, 29, earlier this month. “It’s an amazing feeling secure in such a beautiful romance and friendship.”
The professional chef gushed about how a recent getaway turned into a milestone moment, adding, “We are involved with various cruise lines and had a trip to Italy planned with Emerald Cruises Lines. After our cruising obligations, we decided to stay in Rome for four nights. I could tell that Kiara saw this as a special moment and was definitely expecting more than a carbonara. She says not, but I could tell.”
Robinson, who has appeared on various seasons of Below Deck and Below Deck Mediterranean, recalled several “scary moments” involving the engagement ring.
“I had it in my camera bag in a secret compartment. There was a moment when Kiara was looking for an LED light, which was forgotten. I was sure she must’ve seen it, but she did not!” he continued. “I even forgot it on the way to the airport and blamed our detour on having to turn the air conditioning down. It was a bumpy ride. And well worth it. She had no clue when I dropped my knees in Vatican Square that I would be proposing.”
Robinson originally hinted at his romance with Cabral while celebrating Below Deck‘s 100th episode special in January 2020.
“There is a girl that I like at the moment. We’re trying to take it slowly. So, we’ll see what becomes of it,” Robinson, who has appeared on various seasons of Below Deck and Below Deck Mediterranean since 2013, told Andy Cohen at the time. “But she’s a friend, and we’re having a good time together.”
The England native took his romance with Cabral public four months later when he shared an Instagram photo of the couple in matching robes during their stay at the LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort in Naples, Florida.
Robinson later gushed about how “great” Cabral was for him, exclusively telling Us in August 2021, “I try to avoid [thinking about the future] at all costs, but it could be inevitable [with Kiara].”
At the time, the TV personality revealed he could see himself starting a family with his girlfriend.
“Why not? Right. If I’m going to do it, I may as well do it now. My brother’s going through [fatherhood] right now. He has an approaching 1-year-old. It’s not easy but it could be a beautiful thing. So we’ll see. I’m definitely open to it,” he continued. “I haven’t quite got my head round [that] and [I’m so] bloody busy, but we’ll see. I know it’s going to come with great joy and also at the same time a lot of problems and a lot of stress. I think it’s probably like anything in life relativity.”
Robinson went on to praise Cabral’s bond with his former costar and longtime friend Kate Chastain. “Kate’s very good friends with Kiara and we all live in the same building,” he shared during the joint interview with Chastain, 40, who added, “The reason it works is because I love his girlfriend. Not in that way. They came to visit me last summer when I rented a house [in Florida] during the pandemic, and she lives down there and our dogs get along. It’s great.”
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