Gus Kenworthy surprised Andrew Rigby with a cliffside proposal in Mallorca before revealing that their private picnic was only the first part of his plan.
The four-time Olympian proposed on August 4th after taking Rigby by private dinghy to Torre de ses Illetes, an island off the coast of Mallorca.
Kenworthy had arranged for a picnic blanket and pitcher of extra-sweet margaritas to be waiting at the top of the cliffs, preparing the drinks exactly as his partner orders them.
After Rigby accepted, the couple returned to the dinghy expecting to travel back to the mainland. Instead, it carried them toward a chartered boat where six close friends were hiding to celebrate their engagement.
Kenworthy Led Rigby on a ‘Little Adventure’
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The couple had been having cocktails at the Mar Sea Club at the St. Regis when Kenworthy suggested an excursion. “I told Andrew I was taking him on a little adventure,” Kenworthy told PEOPLE. “Once we got to the island we climbed off the dinghy and hiked up to the top of the cliffs.”
A picnic blanket and drinks were waiting when they reached the proposal site. “I organized for a picnic blanket to be waiting for us with a pitcher of margaritas, extra sweet because that’s how Andrew orders them,” Kenworthy said. He had spent approximately one month planning the surprise with help from Luxury Travel Spain.
Rigby believed Mallorca was simply the relaxing final stop on a busy European trip. The couple had traveled to Berlin to celebrate a friend’s 40th birthday and then continued to Amsterdam for World Pride. “We had already made the plan to go to Mallorca at the end of our trip as a little decompression, and it felt like the perfect opportunity for the proposal,” Kenworthy said.
Six Friends Were Hiding on a Chartered Boat
The proposal alone caught Rigby off guard, but Kenworthy had arranged another surprise for their return to the water. “After the proposal, we got back on the dinghy, but instead of going back to the mainland, it took us out to a chartered boat,” Kenworthy explained.
“Six of our friends were hiding on it, waiting to surprise Andrew and celebrate with us!” Rigby said he had no idea what Kenworthy had planned. “We’ve talked about this a lot obviously, but I thought this was just a relaxing vacation,” he told PEOPLE. “To say I was shocked was an understatement.”
“And then to see our friends there immediately after Gus proposed? Wow,” he added. The couple exchanged 5-millimeter Cartier 1895 bands during the proposal. Kenworthy chose gold, while Rigby received the same design in platinum.
They Reconnected Nearly a Decade After First Meeting
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Kenworthy and Rigby first crossed paths nearly 10 years ago when the athlete visited Sydney for a speaking engagement. Their initial interaction was brief, and they did not begin a relationship at the time. They met again at a mutual friend’s 40th birthday celebration in Guadalajara, Mexico, in March 2024.
The reunion developed into a long-distance relationship between Kenworthy in Los Angeles and Rigby in Sydney. “We did long distance L.A. to Sydney for about a year, and then we both moved to New York together a year ago,” Kenworthy said. The couple began sharing their relationship publicly in August 2024 through photographs from New York City.
They attended Burning Man together the following month and continued appearing in each other’s travel and personal posts. By early 2025, Kenworthy was referring to Rigby as his “sweetie” in birthday posts, while Rigby joined him for vacations, Pride celebrations and major sporting events.
Rigby Supported Kenworthy Through His Olympic Return
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He retired from professional freestyle skiing following the 2022 Beijing Games but returned to training in 2025 and qualified for a fourth Olympics. Kenworthy represented Great Britain at Milano Cortina 2026 and finished sixth in the men’s freeski halfpipe.
Team GB described the result as his strongest Olympic performance in 12 years, following the silver medal he won for the United States in slopestyle at Sochi 2014. Rigby traveled to Italy to support him and shared a photograph kissing Kenworthy beside the halfpipe after the competition.
“Congratulations on your 4th Olympics!” Rigby wrote. “My heart is full of so much pride and love for you.” Kenworthy thanked Rigby in his own recap of the Olympic comeback. “To my partner, @ariggers, for being my calm in the storm,” he wrote. “I love you all!”