Kate Upton and Justin Verlander have gotten engaged! Upton is famous for appearing in those Game of War video game ads that you couldn’t avoid for what seemed like forever – OK, she’s probably more famous for being a supermodel and an actress, but those ads really were everywhere. Anyway, Verlander is the “ace” of the Detroit Tigers’ pitching staff. News of their engagement broke on May 2 when Upton showed up for the 2016 Met Gala in New York City sporting her ring.
“I’m really excited, he asked me right before season started so we’ve been keeping it on the down low for quite a while,” Upton told E! News. “So I’m excited to finally be able to share it with the world!”
The newly engaged couple apparently isn’t in any rush to get to the altar and “are enjoying the engagement period,” Upton said.” For now they’re just taking things slow and, to borrow a sports cliché that seems appropriate given Verlander’s profession, taking things one day at a time.
Upton stepped onto the red carpet at the Met Gala wearing a Topshop cutout dress with just one sleeve – and one amazing ring! Upton’s look was completely metallic; her gown draped down to the floor, and underneath were gold pointed-toe shoes. In one hand she held a matching box clutch, and her ears were lit up with shining earrings. But it was, naturally, the ring on her finger that onlookers immediately turned their attention to.
Upton turned up on camera again the following weekend at the Kentucky Derby. The former Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition cover model gave reporters a chance to get up close and personal with the ring during the horse race.
Apparently Verlander and Upton had been keeping hush-hush about the engagement for more than a month. “He asked me right before the season started, so we’ve been keeping it on the down low for quite a while. So I’m excited to finally be able to share it with the world!” exclaimed an excited Upton. For reference, baseball season starts in early April, so the pair has likely been engaged since at least March without anyone knowing it.
“I’m excited to be finally able to share it with the world!” said Upton upon the big reveal.
She was spotted wearing both a tailored green dress with requisite Derby hat and a sleek pantsuit. More importantly, she had that ring on all weekend. At a glance it looks just like a classic round-cut solitaire ring. Look a little closer, however, and you’ll see that the more than six-carat ring actually has a really fun twist on both the setting and the band. It’s all thanks to the work of jeweler Anita Ko and the input of Verlander; the two custom-designed the ring.
“Justin and I collaborated on creating the most perfect one-of-a-kind ring that is rare and of exceptional quality, just like their love,” Ko told People, adding that the center diamond is set inside “swags” of pavé stones.
Upton and Verlander first began dating about three years ago, and the two have been nearly inseparable ever since. The couple partly credits the fact that Upton is a big fan of the National Pastime as one reason why. But there’s more to it than that, of course.
“For us, we always try and work on our communication,” Upton told E!. “We’re very open with one another and we’re each other’s best friends. He’s definitely my best friend, so I think that helps a lot.”
They’re also both huge animal lovers, with Upton wanting to own a whopping 10 dogs. “Justin is definitely an animal lover but he is definitely holding me back from my 10 dogs,” Upton explained. “He is putting a three-dog limit on it.”
Upton mixed her love of baseball and dogs by hosting Grand Slam Adoption before a Tigers vs. Yankees spring training game in Lakeland, Florida back in late March.
“I’m a huge animal lover and I’ve always been,” Upton said. “I was raised with dogs and horses and they were a huge part of my life. So getting in and supporting a cause for adopting dogs and bringing awareness to how great shelter dogs are and how important animals are to bringing people together, for happiness and for healing, it was an obvious choice for me.”
CZ Jewelry
Since not all of us have Justin Verlander’s $180 million contract to pitch for the Detroit Tigers, buying a ring like Upton’s is a bit out of our price range – or is it? It actually doesn’t have to be thanks to cz jewelry. High-quality Russian Formula cz jewelry captures the light so well that only veteran gemologists using specialized equipment can tell the difference. The only place you’ll see a difference is on the (much lower) price tag.
Image credit: E!