A fiancee has revealed her heartbreak as her husband-to-be killed himself just three weeks after a video of him proposing to her at Mecca Bingo went viral online.
Kayleigh Delamare and her fiance Aaron Stopp, both 30, from Birkenhead in Merseyside, found fame when his unusual proposal video was shared widely across the internet.
The couple hit the headlines in July after a video of Mr Stopp’s proposal was broadcast on the Mecca Bingo Birkenhead Facebook page. Ms Delamare and Mr Stopp’s special moment was viewed over 100,000 times.
But the care assistant has revealed that her husband-to-be took his own life just weeks later.
Kayleigh Delamare and her fiance Aaron Stopp, both 30, from Birkenhead in Merseyside, found fame when his unusual proposal video was shared widely across the internet
Ms Delamare said: ‘I was at my mum’s and I got a phone call and I just knew it was something wrong with Aaron.
‘The police told me to go home and then they told me he’d taken his own life, I couldn’t believe it. I can’t even think about it, I can’t get my head around it.’
Ms Delamare – who dated Mr Stopp for around seven months – said the news came as a complete shock as the couple were busy dreaming of their ideal wedding.
She added: ‘We wanted to get married next year – the engagement was such a surprise, I totally didn’t expect it. We hadn’t set a date or anything but we had talked about a quiet register office wedding, just with family there.
‘We were just so excited about being engaged that we hadn’t even got our heads around it yet. We were both just so excited to tell people.’
Although she was aware of his mental health problems, Ms Delamare said there were no outward signs of him being upset, and said he seemed his ‘happy, normal self’.
She said: ‘He didn’t seem different. I knew he struggled with his mental health but he seemed fine.
‘That’s the problem, isn’t it? People do seem fine and normal on the outside, but you don’t know what they’re struggling with or how they’re doing when you’re not around.
The couple hit the headlines in July after a video of Mr Stopp’s proposal was broadcast on the Mecca Bingo Birkenhead Facebook page. Ms Delamare and Mr Stopp’s special moment was viewed over 100,000 times
‘He always seemed absolutely fine when I was around, but they don’t always show it on the outside.
‘Especially men, they bottle it up and keep it to themselves.
‘I’d warn anyone who is struggling to seek help from a professional because there is help out there.
‘I’m just heartbroken. I’ve signed up to a grief counsellor and I am taking medication.
‘I’ve also got the dog that Aaron bought me, Hugo, and I love him to pieces.
‘It’s like I still have a piece of Aaron with me.’
The proposal, which was performed with the help of a bingo caller, took days of planning – and Ms Delamare says the video now serves as a reminder of how romantic Aaron was.
She added: ‘He was always spoiling me. The proposal was a real surprise, though. I hope that’s how he’s remembered.’