Ryan Tubridy has announced his engagement to his partner Dr Clare Kambamettu, after a jewellery store in Galway accidentally leaked the news.
The radio and TV presenter broke the news on his Virgin Radio show on Tuesday morning, joking that "the cat had been removed from the bag".
Before Tubridy confirmed the news, the jeweller shared an image on social media of the broadcaster with Kambamettu and themselves outside the store, prompting speculation, which was later confirmed when it was revealed that the proposal had happened last Thursday in the West of Ireland.
Tubridy described the moment as "a very beautiful feeling", saying they were surrounded by "gorgeous people", including strangers who happened to be staying in the hotel.
Tubridy told his listeners: "I have a little bit of news that I was kind of keeping a little bit to myself - to ourselves - [because] even though I'm a public person doing the job I do, I also have quite a lot of privacy that I like to keep to myself.
"However, the cat has been removed from the bag for a number of reasons and I'm very, very, very happy to confirm that I did indeed get engaged to my partner Clare on Thursday evening in the West of Ireland."
He continued: "It is a very beautiful feeling. We were surrounded by gorgeous people who we didn't know, strangers in the hotel, and people who were working around the place. I got a beautiful ring organised and the weather was gorgeous.
"It was just an accumulation of a lot of lovely things happening, and I just decided 'Now is the time, here we go'."
Tubridy added: "It's a very exciting time to be alive, I'm a very, very lucky man. I think it's one of those beautiful moments where the world feels lighter and there's a whole new adventure ahead.
"Lucky man, beautiful day, and the future is bright."
Tubridy and Kambamettu, a clinical psychologist and a former Rose of Tralee, are believed to have begun dating after she appeared as a guest on his former RTÉ Radio 1 One show.
Tubridy left RTÉ in 2023 amid a high-profile scandal over undisclosed payments. In June 2023, investigations revealed RTÉ had paid him €345,000 more than publicly declared between 2017 and 2022, using a "barter account" and side arrangements.
The revelations triggered an Oireachtas committee hearing, during which the broadcaster's use of barter accounts and secret top-ups was labelled a "serious breach of trust" by the RTÉ board chair.
Tubridy later said he was "surprised" by the errors and could "not shed any light" on the payments. RTÉ's Director General, Dee Forbes, resigned, and Tubridy did not return to the broadcaster, instead moving on to a morning show on Virgin Radio UK.
Tubridy was previously married to RTÉ producer Anne Marie Power between 2003 and 2006. They share two daughters, Ella and Julia.
