It was a beautiful fall day when two visitors from the U.K. got engaged in New York City’s picturesque Central Park during its peak season. “It just felt right,” John Drennan explained of his proposal to Daniella Anthony from two weeks prior. “[She] was spending some time in the leaves throwing them up and down.”
Six hours later, the two faced a traumatic situation following what was supposed to be one of the happiest days of their lives. It rapidly descended into a nightmare. “On the same day, they lost their ring down a subway grate in Times Square,” Ellen DeGeneres explained Thursday, December 13.
“It bounces twice and then right into that grate,” Drennan recalled.
In this photo released by Warner Bros., talk show host Ellen DeGeneres is seen during a taping of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” at the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, Calif. (Photo by Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.)
In this photo released by Warner Bros., talk show host Ellen DeGeneres is seen during a taping of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” at the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, Calif. (Photo by Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.)
In this photo released by Warner Bros., talk show host Ellen DeGeneres is seen during a taping of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” at the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, Calif. (Photo by Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.)
Footage of the panicked couple laying on the subway grate and peering down at the lost bauble quickly went viral. They had just watched a show on Broadway, and Anthony was looking down at the ring in amazement when it slipped off her finger. She explained how she had been reticent about wearing it out, even, when they were in the hotel before the show.
“I actually said, ‘John, it’s a little bit big. I don’t know if I want to wear the ring,’” she recalled. But he replied, “Come on, it’s staying on your finger.”
People stopped to commiserate with the couple that night, and then the New York Police Department showed up. “They sealed off the place,” Drennan continued, “And after at least two hours, they just said sorry.”
The pair returned home and didn’t tell their families about their engagement, not wanting to put a negative spin on their happy news. Then, they received a call: the detectives returned the next day after the incident only to find the missing ring.
DeGeneres flew the officers out to greet the couple on her show, who then presented the pair with the ring—and one final gift. Watch the moment below.
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