Rita Ora Proposes to Taika Waititi During Romantic Palm Springs Getaway

Rita Ora has revealed she proposed to her husband, Taika Waititi, during a romantic trip to Palm Springs – turning tradition on its head by getting down on one knee herself.

The singer, 34, who married the 49-year-old filmmaker in 2022, shared the story on Davina McCall’s Begin Again podcast, explaining how she broke convention and took charge of the proposal.

She said: ‘I just did the whole thing. We were in a hotel room in Palm Springs, like a really nice, fancy one filled up with balloons and cake, which is my favourite thing in the world.

‘I got the bands made, I didn’t want anything too flashy. He’s like “What the hell is it? Valentine’s Day?” I was like “Oh no, if you’re gonna say no, I’m gonna have to take my clothes off.

She concluded: ‘Anyway, I got down on one knee, and Taika absolutely loved it.’

Rita and Taika married in a private ceremony on August 4, 2022, in Los Angeles.

Rita Ora recently revealed that she proposed to her husband, Taika Waititi, during a romantic trip to Palm Springs – turning tradition on its head by getting down on one knee herself

The singer, 34, who married the 49-year-old filmmaker in 2022, shared the story on Davina McCall’s Begin Again podcast, explaining how she broke convention and took charge of the proposal

The couple, who had been friends for years before becoming romantically involved in 2021, planned the wedding in just two weeks to ensure Taika’s daughters could attend.

The intimate event was attended by only eight people, including Rita’s sister, Elena, who walked her down the aisle, and Taika’s daughters, Te Kāinga o te Hinekāhu and Matewa Kiritapu.

Earlier this year, Rita shared a rare insight into her marriage to Taika while flaunting her jaw-dropping figure in a stunning shoot for Hunger magazine.

Crediting their strong friendship as the key component to their romantic relationship, she told the publication: ‘Taika and I are basically just best friends and we wanted to just live in that element for ever, I guess.’

Elsewhere in the interview, Rita spoke about her latest album You & I and how her marriage to Taika, which she said was a ‘big step’, helped inspire it.

She said: ‘I felt like it was really necessary to be an open book… I wanted to introduce people to where I’m at in my life now — like a diary’.

‘I think music is all about being as honest as you can be… All you can do is be yourself and hope that there’s somebody out there who can connect or relate…’

Before Taika, Rita romanced a string of big names, starting back in her pre-fame years.

She said: ‘I just did the whole thing. We were in a hotel room in Palm Springs, like a really nice, fancy one filled up with balloons and cake, which is my favourite thing in the world’ (pictured last year)

She continued: ‘I got the bands made, I didn’t want anything too flashy. He’s like “What the hell is it? Valentine’s Day?” I was like “Oh no, if you’re gonna say no, I’m gonna have to take my clothes off’ (pictured last year)

She concluded: ‘Anyway, I got down on one knee, and Taika absolutely loved it’ (pictured last year)

Before either of them shot to superstardom Rita dated Bruno Mars at the age of 18, later saying: ‘It was love at first sight.’

‘We met in 2009. I was 18 and starting out at Roc Nation. Bruno was unknown back then too. He was a struggling songwriter hired to write songs for me.

‘I thought: ‘Wow, that’s just the world’s greatest guy!”

After Bruno, the singer dated reality star Rob Kardashian for two months from October 2012 before ending their brief romance due to her ‘hectic work schedule’ and their incompatible lifestyles.

She then had high-profile relationships with the likes of DJ Calvin Harris, musician Andrew Watt and designer Tommy Hilfiger’s son Ricky.

Rita has also enjoyed flings with rapper A$AP Rocky, actor Andrew Garfield and rocker Travis Barker.

Rita married her husband Taika in a secret ceremony in August 2022. The couple, who had been friends for years before becoming romantically, planned the wedding in just two weeks