TOWIE stars Junaid Ahmed and Joe Blackman have officially announced their engagement!
The couple, who have been together for two years, celebrated the exciting news with their castmates after Junaid, 31, got down on one knee and proposed to Joe, also 31, during a breathtaking sunset on a romantic beach in Albania while the cast was away on a trip.
In photos obtained by The Sun, the happy pair toasted their engagement with fellow stars Ella Rae Wise and Lauren Goodger, looking blissfully smitten.
Junaid shared: “Never in a million years did I think I was going to get my happily ever after. Being gay and Muslim, this is the fairytale I’ve always wanted. I may not have my family’s acceptance, but I have my new family in Joe and his family. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. I’m on cloud nine.”
He added: “I’m settled in who I am and the best version of me, and Joe has shown me what real love feels like.”
The engagement comes two years after Joe’s bitter split from co-star Harry Derbridge. The former couple, who got together in 2023 and had previously insisted their relationship was solid, ended things after discovering text messages between Joe and Junaid, which led to a fiery row. At the time, Harry’s cousin Amy Childs unfollowed Junaid on social media, and Junaid reciprocated.
Joe, who has a son from a previous relationship, and Harry had once openly discussed plans to marry and start a family. Speaking to Closer, Harry revealed: “We talked about loads of things… planning our futures, a Vegas wedding, and even surrogacy. If it hadn’t worked out, I would have been so sad.”
Now, two years later, Junaid and Joe are ready to start their next chapter together, celebrating love, acceptance, and a fairytale engagement surrounded by friends and family.
