Daytime tv lovers; this one’s for you! Soap opera stars Courtney Hope and Chad Duell were recently engaged on Valentine’s Day.
We have all the details– including a tropical proposal and a trendy, alternative gemstone for the ring. Spoiler alert! It’s sapphire!
See also: 10 Reasons to Consider a Sapphire Engagement Ring
Get to know the blissful couple below.
The Couple
Both Courtney Hope and Chad Duell are soap opera stars for daytime television. But that’s not the only thing they have in common!
Courtney Hope
Hope grew up in Texas. She took part in a traveling dance troupe and pursued acting and modeling at a young age. After graduating from a performing arts school at 15, she moved to Los Angeles and earned an associates degree in Psychology at 18.
Courtney has several roles under her belt, including her character in the hit-video game, “Control” by Remedy Entertainment, several Life Time and Hallmark movies, and appearances in Criminal Minds, CSI Miami, NCIS, Grey’s Anatomy, Bones.
Most notably, she plays Sally Spectra on the Bold and The Beautiful. Her role as Spectra began three years ago. Recently she was requested to bring the same Spectra character to The Young And Restless.
Her character is the great-niece of the renown Sally Spectra. Spectra was originally played by the late Darlene Conley for 19 years on B&B.
Chad Duell
Duell left high school before his senior year to pursue acting. He moved to Los Angeles and landed a minor role on Disney’s hit sitcom, The Suite Life on Deck.
His longest recurring role is that of Michael Corinthos on the soap, General Hospital. He replaced actor Drew Garrett for the part in 2010.
Recent roles include a part in the Amazon Prime series, The Bay and a few other TV films and series.
How Did Courtney Hope and Chad Duell Meet?
Hope and Duell met through a mutual actor friend– Bryan Craig. Craig previously played Duell’s on-screen brother on General Hospital.
The two began talking and realized just how much they had in common. In 2016, they officially began dating, then moved in together a year later.
Apparently things started to heat up amidst the pandemic, and Duell popped the big question in February.
The Engagement Story
Courtney spilled her engagement tea to People Magazine. Duell planned the entire thing.
Courtney told People Magazine:
“In the morning, Chad gave me a dozen roses and a big teddy bear, and told me he was taking me on a picnic for lunch and giving me a present there.”
“When we got to Malibu I saw we were going to Point Dume, which I love. We walked on the beach and he had us scale some rocks for our picnic. I ate like, two bites of my food and I could tell he was ready to give me my present, so I stopped eating. He read me the most beautiful poem, because I love poetry, and I started choking up.”
“He then told me to close my eyes and turn the other way ’cause he had to ‘set something up,'” Hope recalls. “Then he comically fumbled behind me to distract me from what he was really doing — and when I turned around, he was on his knee!”
Obviously Hope said “YES”! Hope shared that she was completely surprised. Being a hopeless romantic, Duell’s planned picnic didn’t raise any red flags.
Her caption read, “Yesterday was a good day ☺️? …. Forever with this man is a dream come true ???❤️ @duelly #umHellYes“
Now about that ring!
Ring Details
Courtney hasn’t released any specific ring details, but we can make a very educated guess!
First of all, it’s absolutely stunning. Chad went with a diamond alternative gemstone for the main centerpiece, which is a trend we’ve been seeing a lot of the past several years.
See also: 7 Best Alternative Gemstones for Engagement Rings in 2021
Instead, he seemingly choses a square cut sapphire, set with several shimmering diamonds that border the top two sides of the gemstone. The accent diamonds appear to extend to the band, adding extra sparkle around the finger.
Most people associate sapphires with the color blue, which is considered sapphire’s “true” color. But they can actually be found in many other colors as well– from black to yellow to pink to green to white.
Sapphires provide a unique look perfect for those that prefer a non conventional look. Hoda Kotb is another celeb to rock a sapphire accented engagement ring.
Jewelry experts estimate the sapphire to be between 4 and 5 carats. Without knowing any more details on the ring, it’s hard to assign a value, but it’s obviously worth a hefty amount.
Congrats to the happy couple!
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