Jake Paul admits proposing to Jutta Leerdam was more nerve-wracking than any fight and he needed help of strong whiskey
JAKE PAUL revealed proposing to his partner Jutta Leerdam was more nerve-wracking than any fight - and he needed strong whiskey in his corner.
The sports power couple went official in April 2024 and have gone from strength to strength since.
8
8
8
8
Paul popped the question in March during a romantic getaway in St. Lucia - getting down on one knee behind a beautiful lake background.
And the YouTuber-turned-boxer - who has 11 wins in his 12 professional fights - admits no opponent has struck the same fear into him.
After requiring some Dutch courage, he said: "By far I was way more nervous to propose than than for any fight.
"So yeah, to all the men who are getting ready to propose, some whiskey before it's very helpful."
Cruiserweight Paul began dating champion speedskater Jutta just months after his first and so far only loss - a split-decision defeat to Tommy Fury.
And he revealed how the Dutch Winter Olympian helped him overcome the setback in the ring.
The boxer became an uncle in September when brother Logan and Danish supermodel fiancee Nina Agdal welcomed baby daughter Esme into the world.
Paul plans for kids of his own but has warned he will wait for Jutta to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
8
CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS
The newly-engaged enjoy a long-distance relationship due to their training schedules - pitting them over 4,000 miles away from each other.
Jutta, 26, is coached in her homeland of the Netherlands while Ohio-born Paul, 26, has relocated to Puerto Rico where he has a custom £3million gym.
He has his team out with him in the Caribbean island - where he also lives in a £13m mansion - including the famously tough conditioning coach Larry Wade.
Paul revealed: "His track workouts are absolutely brutal, long runs, sprinting. Not a lot of breaks. It's hot in Puerto Rico and muggy.
"So you really find out who you are, like I said, in those moments and I just have that voice while I'm running that's wanting to quit but you just have to push through that.
"And I think that's the art of fighting and in the ring you have those moments where your body is telling you to give up but you just have to push to the next round and keep going."
Paul returns on June 28 in California against former middleweight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, 39, live on DAZN PPV.
And he will do so back at cruiserweight having gone to heavyweight in November for his controversial clash with Mike Tyson - who made a comeback aged 58.
Paul had hoped to capitalise on the 100 MILLION viewers he had tune in on Netflix by holding shocks talks to fight either Canelo Alvarez, 34, or Gervonta Davis, 30.
But when both collapsed, he turned to Chavez, the son of Mexican icon Julio Cesar Sr who was also beaten on points by Canelo in 2017.
Paul said: "I wanted the hardest and the biggest fights, which was first Canelo then Gervonta fell through.
"And then at any given point in time we're negotiating or talking with five to six fighters to see who's down and ready to fight and making a date happen.
"And after Canelo and Gervonta, we were talking to multiple people and Chavez was the one to step up, that made sense for me to stay active and get a fight in June.
"So really it's just the long line and I just need more time but I'm gonna get to all of these names when the stars aligned."
8
8
8
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
26 minutes ago
- The Sun
The dangers of ‘parallel living' and how it's slowly killing your relationship
WHEN couples first get together, it's natural for them to be giddy and excited all the time as they fall in love. However, it's common for this initial excitement to dim over time, especially for those who have been together for many years. 3 3 And as life gets in the way, it can sometimes result in couples quickly falling into damaging patterns without even noticing it's happening. And there's one specific pattern that could actually be wrecking your marriage or relationship - parallel living. This habit happens when couples sit next to each other but barely interact, and over time, this kills the passion and the emotional bond between the two people. Relationship experts have found that huge numbers of people are falling into this trap at the weekends. And Steffo Shambo, Founder of Tantric Academy, has warned that it is slowly killing relationships. This silent killer takes hold when two people spend hours in the same room, but are glued to their phones the whole time. Couples think sharing a sofa means quality time, but most relationships drift further apart during weekends Steffo ShamboFounder of Tantric Academy They could also be watching different TV shows or doing solo jobs with hardly any real connection between them. Steffo said: "Couples think sharing a sofa means quality time, but most relationships drift further apart during weekends. "Sitting beside each other while mentally miles away has become totally normal but it's becoming increasingly harmful as it discourages any effort and in some cases, motivation from both parties to connect further." Phones and tablets cause most of the damage, according to the expert. I'm a dating expert - the 5 key signs your partner is cheating on you & the Instagram feature that'll tell you all you need to know The tantra coach added: "Look at a typical Saturday morning and you'll see two people in bed scrolling through social media. "The couples think they're together but they might as well be in different houses." The relationship specialist branded these periods as "parallel living", where partners occupy the same physical space without sharing anything meaningful. They continued: "Your brain starts to link your partner with feeling alone not feeling connected. "This process happens so slowly you never notice until one day you realise the desire and closeness have vanished. "Scrolling on your phone can become so addictive and devoid of any effort on the individual's part, but produces an instant high and feelings of gratification. "But eventually, the attention and time spent 'doom scrolling' replaces meaningful contact. "It's absolutely essential that couples recognise when this is happening and put practices in place to prevent this breakdown." But if you've noticed you and your partner falling into this pattern, don't panic just yet. Steffo has revealed just how you can stop this habit and turn things around. SAVING THE LONG-TERM PASSION RESEARCHERS have also discovered that people find tasks feel more meaningful when they are done with their partner. For example, many people reported they felt that activities done with a spouse felt one and a half times more meaningful than solo activities. And people experienced 21 per cent less stress when their partner was actively involved. Many marriage counsellors report that couples wrongly believe simply being in the same house counts as quality time. Satisfaction plummets when people share physical space but focus on separate activities. Covid lockdowns made this problem worse for many relationships, with partners spending more time together physically while feeling less connected emotionally than ever before. Top relationship experts now say true quality time needs three crucial elements that most weekend routines completely lack: giving full attention, sharing activities, and including physical touch. Since weekends offer the biggest chunk of potential bonding time for most couples, transforming these hours from parallel existence to genuine connection could save their long-term passion. And the fix doesn't require expensive date nights or grand gestures. They said: "Try just 20 minutes every weekend morning with no phones and no distractions - face each other, talk properly or just enjoy comfortable silence. "This simple habit trains your brain to associate your partner with real connection instead of loneliness." According to the experts, weekend routines need a complete overhaul with activities that demand both partners' attention. For example, things like cooking together, taking phone-free walks, or doing chores together. Steffo said: "The magic formula for keeping passion alive combines new shared experiences with focused attention. "When couples stick with these practices, they notice major improvements in both emotional closeness and physical desire after just three weekends." 3
Daily Mail
34 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's lavish gift to VIP wedding guests revealed
After a two-year engagement, Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos and former journalist Lauren Sanchez are set to marry next week in Venice, Italy, among a star-studded guest list - and an insider has now revealed that extremely lavish gift that the VIP guests will receive just for attending. An insider told the Daily Mail that Bezos' $500 million superyacht, Koru, will be moored off the coast of San Georgio Maggiore island, which is home to the famous Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore, a 16th century Benedictine church. They shared that the island is 'off-limits to visitors' from June 24 to June 29, with the mayor of Venice believing that the wedding will take place on the yacht. The Amazon boss has allegedly booked the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, one of the largest and grandest buildings in the historical center of Venice, as part of the multi-day-long extravaganza of celebrations. It's unclear if the space is related to their wedding, but it's booked from June 26 to June 28. The insider added that a private tender service is said to be taking guests from the island to the yacht. The guest list is thought to be intimate, with less than 200 people, and suspected guests including A-listers like Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, and even members of the Trump family. And now, it's been revealed to the Daily Mail by a source in Italy that each guest will be receiving hand-blown glassware by local glassmaker Laguna B. The glassware company was originally created by Marie Brandolini, who left New York in 1988 to live in Venice. Her idea came about after her stepfather gave her a goti de fornasa - a traditional drinking glass crafted by Murano glassmakers - which inspired her to make her own, putting her own spin on it to create something 'new and personal.' Her son later took over the business after she passed in 2013, per Vogue. The handmade glassware features bright colors, stripes, and floral details. All of the glasses have different motifs and designs, with one large-size cup running customers $167. The handmade glassware are not the only things that guests will be coming back home with. The insider told Daily Mail that a wedding planner who is not working this event has heard that guests will receive other 'opulent' gifts for attending. It's unclear what those other gifts will be, but Sanchez is known to be a fan of fun designer purses, like the $5,750 Balenciaga 9AM Coffee Cup Clutch Bag, which she was seen carrying in March. The luxe item is designed as a tote bag shaped like a coffee cup. The Kardashian family also gifted her a designer bag worth nearly $7,000 following her Blue Origin space trip. The gift was a crystal adorned Judith Leiber UFO-inspired bag after she landed back on solid ground. But of course, guests will also be treated to a few other luxurious surprises during their time in Italy for the wedding. The source confirmed to the Daily Mail that local bakery Rosa Salva Venetia will be providing pastries for the extravagant weekend. The delicious menu items at the bakery include tiramisu, flaky, cream-filled pastries, and fritelli, a traditional Italian fried treat. However, Rosa Salva Venetia will not be providing the wedding cake for the loved-up couple. It looks like all of this opulence is thanks to Sanchez herself, as her hubby-to-be revealed in a 2023 Vogue interview that he wouldn't dare get involved with wedding planning. 'Oh, God, no. Do I look that dumb?' Bezos told the outlet when he was asked if he had a big part in the preparations. During the interview, the future Mrs. Bezos listed Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, and Valentino as some of her favorite designers, but didn't share anything about which one will make her gown - or gowns, for that matter. Separate sources recently told the Daily Mail that the festivities are expected to cost anywhere from $15 to $20 million. Many things went into the estimate of the total cost, including transportation fees, her wedding dress and catering.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Inside Aaron Taylor-Johnson's controversial marriage… and how it survived ‘grooming claims' and vile stepdaughter slurs
SHE'S been labelled a 'cradle-snatcher', 'sexual deviant' and even a 'groomer' - while he has been accused of having 'complex mother issues'. Yet stepping out on the red carpet in London earlier this week for the world premiere of his new film 28 Years Later, Sam and Aaron Taylor-Johnson looked unfazed by the furore that's forever stalked their relationship. 16 16 From where they're standing, they've proved the critics wrong. Tomorrow marks their 13th wedding anniversary, after all - an impressive feat by Hollywood standards. But it's even more startling considering the never-ending noise surrounding their age-gap romance, and its very unconventional beginning. They first met in 2008, when Aaron, then just 18, was cast in the role of a teenage John Lennon in Sam's directorial debut Nowhere Boy. Filmmaker and double cancer survivor Sam was 41, more than double his age, and had two daughters with her ex-husband, the art dealer Jay Jopling - to whom she was married for 11 years before they 'amicably' split in 2008. While seemingly worlds apart, the pair connected and reportedly got together upon completing their film. As Sam told Harper's Bazaar in 2019, 'We were very professional through the entire film… But everyone on set knew. 'And as soon as we finished, he told me he was going to marry me. We had never been on a date, or even kissed.' She was quick to stress the fact that he pursued her, seemingly trying - and failing - to squash the 'granny groomer' accusations swiftly lobbed in her direction. Filming concluded in March and, by June - when Aaron turned 19 - they were stepping out together on date nights. Neither confirmed a romance, but the PDAs did the talking. By their film's premiere in October 2009 they were officially a couple. Walking the red carpet arm-in-arm - Sam in a glitzy gold dress and Aaron in a tux - they started as they meant to go on: loud and unapologetic. Needless to say, the reaction was deafening. Comments from the time included: 'She looks like his mum!' and 'How can she do this to him? He's only a child who barely knows his own mind yet.' Double standards Some were also quick to point out that any positive reactions would have been very different were things the other way around. Sam wasn't just more than two decades older than Aaron. She was also wealthier, more established and - with friends like artist Damien Hirst and Elton John - enviably better connected. What's more, as the director of his breakout movie, she was effectively his boss. But despite the cascade of 'casting couch' accusations, the couple remained defiant - and a year after they met, Aaron got down on one knee. Critics loudly declared it wouldn't last, with one commenter suggesting: 'Let's see how long he sticks around if he makes it big.' 16 16 16 Another scoffed: 'I give it three months.' By 2010 they'd welcomed their first child together - daughter Wylda Rae, now 14 - and second daughter Romy followed in January 2012. They married five months later at Babington House in Somerset - a lavish do attended by Beyonce and Elton John - and combined their surnames. They now live down the road in a £1.85m farmhouse in Bruton. Aaron claimed he wasn't nervous about fatherhood as he'd already settled into the role of stepdad to Sam's two daughters - Angelica, now 28, and Jessie Phoenix, now 18 - despite the fact that Angelica was only six years his junior. He's made a point of stating he considers them both his own daughters, affectionately calling Jessie his 'babygirl' in an Instagram caption last year to mark her 18th birthday. Obviously any suggestion he's anything more than a loving stepfather is unfounded - which is why the latest slew of rumours surrounding Aaron and his stepdaughter must have stung. Last December Aaron and Sam were joined by Angelica and Jessie Phoenix on the red carpet for the premiere of his movie Kraven The Hunter. 16 Posing for the cameras, Aaron put his arm around Jessie Phoenix and gave her a reassuring stroke on the back. The candid moment - a fatherly gesture no doubt intended to reassure the camera-shy teenager - was catnip to twisted internet trolls who branded the it 'disgusting', while TikTok lit up with clips of the moment. Wild conspiracy theories of an illicit affair flooded the comments, with one commenter questioning: 'Are they flirting?' and another writing: 'What if being with the grandma is all a show and he's with her daughter?' A third added: 'If I didn't know their story, I would think that was his girlfriend.' Unsurprisingly the couple, nor their children, dignified the ludicrous furore with a response. Their reaction was the same when, two years ago, vicious rumours swirled that Aaron had an affair with his much younger Bullet Train co-star Joey King, 25. In his early 20s, father-of-four Aaron claimed he was just as happy playing a stay-at-home dad as he was leading blockbuster films. His early roles in their relationship included Kick Ass, Savages, Anna Karenina and Godzilla. When Sam won the highly-contested directing gig for Fifty Shades of Grey in 2015, he took time off to man the fort at home. As he later told The Post, 'I much prefer being a parent to working. Doesn't everybody? The best time I have is with my kids, experiencing their growth and their life with them. I think it's important to have time to enjoy that.' As for Sam, she paid tribute to him while promoting the film, saying, "Being in an amazing relationship, having come out of a difficult one, it felt so good [that he stayed at home while she worked]. 'And I feel like that stability has enabled me to get on with doing this momentous project." She then returned the favour, enabling him to star in 2016's Nocturnal Animals to rave reviews and a Golden Globe Award. Paying tribute to his beloved in his speech, he said: "I want to thank my wife for being there with me, supporting me through this. 'Thank you for putting up with me. Jesus, that was not very pleasant in this role, so you're my soulmate and I love you very much… I'm blessed. I have four beautiful daughters: Anjelica, Phoenix, Wylda, and Romy, I love you all very much." Sam has described Aaron as an old soul in a younger man's body, and claims their strong union has come from their ability to ignore the uproar. 16 16 In 2017, she said: 'If I gave a second thought to other people, I would be the unhappiest person, probably still in a miserable marriage. 'People like to talk about [the age gap]. I'm like, 'Yeah, but it works better than my last marriage'. It's lasted longer than a lot of my friends' marriages.' Ironically, months before she and Aaron went public, her ex Jay Jopling was embroiled in his own age-gap romance when he was pictured kissing a then 23-year-old Lily Allen in the Caribbean. The fling fizzled out quickly, but he was never tarnished with the same 'groomer' label as Sam. Power play Speaking in 2023, Amelia Kelley, a trauma-informed therapist, told Business Insider that criticism surrounding the Taylor-Johnsons was blatant misogyny. "When we see an older woman with a younger man, it underscores that the woman isn't as young as we think they should be,' she said. 'That could be uncomfortable for someone to see.' Yet Elizabeth Jeglic, a professor of psychology at John Jay College in New York, argued against the gendered critique, suggesting it was Sam who could have abused her position of power. "The person who is older tends to be a person who has more power or more experience,' she said. 'They often will select individuals who are younger and more inexperienced because they're more vulnerable. And that creates an unequal power dynamic." Aaron's still surprised by the furore and frenzy his age-gap romance stirs up. 16 16 Speaking last year to Rolling Stone, he said, 'What you gotta realise is that what most people were doing in their twenties, I was doing when I was 13. 'You're doing something too quickly for someone else? I don't understand that. What speed are you supposed to enjoy life at? It's bizarre to me." General consensus is that Aaron wasn't seeking a mummy figure because of any maternal hole in his life. He's in fact remained incredibly close to his own mother, Sarah, who accompanied him to film sets throughout his young career, taught him 'how to be a man' and has played an active role in raising her grandchildren. As for his early dating life there's no sign of any prior 'older woman fetish', with previous flings including actresses Georgia Groome, 33, and Alice Connor, 34. Likewise, it doesn't seem like Sam was simply looking for someone to baby or boss around. She may be a bigwig director, but she's just as happy sharing the spotlight with her incredibly successful, increasingly handsome younger husband. Aaron's role in Danny Boyle's latest epic promises to strengthen his position as one of the UK's most successful actors on both sides of the pond - while whispers that he's favourite to play the next James Bond continue. As the couple hit the red carpet this week, now aged 35 and 58 respectively, one cynic wrote, 'son and great-grandma', while another commented, 'She really got her claws in deep, that one.' But refreshingly, many comments now celebrate the pair, with one writing: 'Good on them for proving haters wrong.' Another added: 'Age is just a number when you love each other as this couple obviously do.' It's safe to say they'll never stop courting controversy - as every time they step out together, the public are reminded of how it all began. But over a decade later, the Taylor-Johnsons continue to put two fingers up to their doubters.
