Emmerdale star Mike Parr has given fans some very happy news after revealing he is engaged to partner Isabelle Du Plessis, although the romantic moment did not exactly go off without a hitch.
In true soap-style fashion, the proposal nearly went sideways thanks to a very unexpected twist, with Issi herself admitting she almost accidentally put a stop to the whole thing. Mike also confessed he couldn’t resist a “cheesy line” when it came time to pop the question.
Emmerdale Mike Parr engaged to Issi Du Plessis
Ross Barton star Mike asked Issi to marry him while they were visiting South Africa where Issi is from. He revealed in a new interview with OK! magazine that he had a romantic proposal planned, but that Issi inadvertently tried to ruin it!
Issi confessed: “He kept asking me to go on this bushwalk and I was like, ‘I’ve done bushwalks before. I’m not that into it, but I think you should go’.”
“You were literally stopping your own proposal,” Mike added.
Eventually they did make it out and when Mike spotted two elephants at the watering hold wrapping their trunks around each other, he took it as a sign that was the moment.
“It felt romantic and really symbolic,” he said. “I came up with this really cheesy line and said, ‘What do you think is more beautiful, those elephants or this ring?’ and I pulled the ring out of the box and said, ‘Will you marry me?'”
Mike had designed the ring himself with the help of Issi’s best friend.
The wedding planning is still in the early stages with the couple revealing their goal is to buy a house first.
Mike and Issi already share baby Suzie
It has already been a whirlwind time for the couple, as they welcomed their first baby, Suzie, in September 2025. Issi shared the happy news on her social media.
Mike later posted a photo on Instagram showing him leaving hospital with baby Suzie in her car seat, writing: “I understand unconditional love for the first time!”
He also shared a letter he wrote for Suzie, which read: “Dear Suzie. The last six days with you have been better than all my years on this planet combined.
“Life before you seems so meaningless. You have changed what the word love means to me. In fact, I’m not sure I understood what it was before I held you. There’s not a day that will go by when I don’t tell you and show you how much you mean to me.
“I’ll leave no stone unturned in making sure you always feel safe, supported, and loved. I absolutely adore you. Thank you for making us so happy. Love, Dad x.”
With a baby, a proposal and a house hunt all on the cards, it is fair to say Mike and Issi are living life at full speed right now, with plenty more milestones likely just around the corner.
Read more: Emmerdale cast shake-up 2026 as exits confirmed and big returns teased – so who’s leaving?
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 8pm, with an early release on ITVX at 7am.
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