Engaged! Olympian Adam Rippon reveals he and boyfriend Jussi-Pekka Kajaala proposed to each other in Finland: ‘He’s my cheerleader’
- Olympic athlete Adam Rippon is engaged to boyfriend Jussi-Pekka Kajaala
- Rippon, 31, revealed the happy news via Instagram on Wednesday
- The pair who met on Tinder in 2018 popped the question to one another in Finland last December
- Having both chosen the rings together, Rippon revealed how he and his partner both got down on one knee for the romantic proposal
- The figure skater won a bronze medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics and was one of the first openly gay men to compete for Team USA
Olympic athlete Adam Rippon has announced that he’s engaged to be married to boyfriend Jussi-Pekka Kajaala.
The 31-year-old figure skater – who won a bronze medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics and was one of the first openly gay men to compete for Team USA – confirmed the exciting news via Instagram on Wednesday.
He also revealed that the pair popped the question to one another while in Finland in December last year, with both of them getting down on one knee, having also chosen the rings together.
Engaged! Olympian Adam Rippon reveals he and boyfriend Jussi-Pekka Kajaala proposed to each other in Finland: ‘He’s my cheerleader’
The pair have been in a long-distance relationship since first meeting on Tinder in 2018, with Rippon residing in Los Angeles and Kajaala in his native Finland.
‘I’m excited to marry JP because he’s just the best,’ Rippon told People in a statement. ‘He’s kind, he’s funny, and he’s just as beautiful on the inside as he is on the out (which is a lot). He’s my cheerleader and I’m his. I just love him a lot.’
The pair are said to have both got down on one knee as they do “everything together” and even bought their rings at the same time as one another.
In it together: The pair are said to have picked out their rings together and both got down on one knee for the proposal in Finland last year
Cute: The pair are said to have both got down on one knee as they do “everything together” and even bought their rings at the same time as one another
“We did it at the same time so we both got to be the one who proposed!” he added.
However, Rippon says they haven’t started wedding planning yet, as they’ll struggle to get both sides of the family together amid a pandemic.
In 2019, Rippon was asked about whether marriage was on the cards for the couple, responding: ‘It would be nice. My whole family loves him and he’s just a great guy. My family loves him, my mom loves him.’
The pair went Instagram official with their relationship in 2018, when Rippon posted a shirtless shot of the duo with the caption: ‘Good boys Finnish first’ along with a Finland flag emoji.
Time apart: The couple have been forced to spend much of their time apart amid the pandemic
Kajaala – who is building a following on his own YouTube channel – also shared the same engagement snap to his Instagram on Wednesday, with the caption: ‘No woman no cry.’
Rippon explained to GMA how the pandemic had forced the pair to spend much of last year apart, which only made their feelings grow stronger.
“We are used to being in a long-distance relationship, but we’ve had more time to stay in touch with each other because we have both been working from home,” Rippon told them.
Making it work: The pair have been in a long-distance relationship since first meeting on Tinder in 2018, with Rippon residing in Los Angeles and Kajaala in Finland