Andrew Rigby believed the final days of his European vacation with Gus Kenworthy would be devoted to rest. After celebrating Pride events in Berlin and Amsterdam, the couple had traveled to Mallorca for a quieter ending to an already memorable trip.

Kenworthy, however, had planned something far more significant.

On Tuesday, Aug. 4, the four-time Olympic freestyle skier proposed to Rigby on the cliffs of Torre de ses Illetes, transforming what appeared to be a private island adventure into an engagement celebration involving margaritas, two Cartier rings and six friends waiting offshore.

The proposal came after approximately two years of dating, one year of navigating a relationship between Los Angeles and Sydney, and a shared move to New York City. For Kenworthy and Rigby, the moment represented not only a romantic surprise but the latest chapter in a relationship that began with an easily forgotten encounter nearly a decade earlier.

A Quiet Boat Ride With a Hidden Purpose

The day began at the St. Regis, where Kenworthy and Rigby were having a cocktail near the beach at the Mar Sea Club.

Kenworthy told his partner that he wanted to take him on a small adventure. The couple boarded a private dinghy and traveled away from the pier toward Torre de ses Illetes.

Once they arrived, they climbed from the boat and hiked to the top of the cliffs. Waiting there was a picnic blanket and a pitcher of margaritas prepared especially for Rigby. Kenworthy had even made sure the drinks were extra sweet, matching the way his partner normally orders them.

It looked like an intimate picnic overlooking the Mediterranean. In reality, Kenworthy had spent about a month coordinating the proposal with Luxury Travel Spain.

Rigby had no idea.

Although the couple had spoken openly about marriage, he believed Mallorca was simply meant to help them decompress after a packed travel schedule. The possibility that Kenworthy might propose during the trip did not appear to cross his mind.

When Kenworthy finally asked the question, Rigby was stunned. Yet the surprises were not over.

After the proposal, the newly engaged couple returned to the dinghy. Instead of taking them back to the mainland, the boat carried them toward a chartered vessel nearby.

Six of their friends were hiding aboard, ready to greet them and begin celebrating immediately.

For Rigby, seeing those familiar faces moments after accepting the proposal made an already emotional experience even more overwhelming. Kenworthy had created a private moment for the two of them, then arranged for the people they loved to share in the happiness almost immediately afterward.

Rings Chosen for Both Partners

The couple marked their engagement with matching Cartier 1895 bands measuring 5 millimeters wide.

Kenworthy’s ring is gold, while Rigby’s is platinum.

The decision to have rings for both men made the proposal feel like a mutual commitment rather than a moment centered on only one person. Kenworthy may have organized the surprise and asked the question, but both partners left the cliffs wearing visible symbols of the future they had chosen together.

The setting also carried an unexpected sense of timing.

Before arriving in Mallorca, the couple had attended Berlin Pride while celebrating a friend’s 40th birthday. They then traveled to Amsterdam for World Pride. The island was supposed to provide a calm conclusion to the journey.

Kenworthy realized it also offered the perfect opportunity to propose.

Against the quiet coastal landscape, away from the crowds of their previous destinations, he could create a moment that felt personal while still ensuring their closest friends were near enough to join the celebration.

A Connection That Took Years to Begin

Kenworthy and Rigby’s relationship did not start when they first met.

Their paths crossed nearly 10 years ago in Sydney, where Kenworthy had traveled for a speaking engagement. The interaction was brief, and neither man appears to have realized that the meeting would eventually become part of their love story.

They met again under very different circumstances in March 2024.

Both attended a mutual friend’s 40th birthday celebration in Guadalajara, Mexico. This time, the connection lasted. The two began dating, despite living on opposite sides of the Pacific.

For roughly a year, they maintained a long-distance relationship between Los Angeles and Sydney. The arrangement required travel, planning and a willingness to build a partnership across an enormous geographic divide.

Eventually, both men made a major change. About a year before their engagement, they moved to New York together.

They publicly confirmed their relationship on Instagram in August 2024 by sharing photographs from their travels in New York City. One month later, they attended Burning Man together. From that point forward, they continued offering occasional glimpses of their life as a couple.

Their social media posts showed vacations and celebrations, but they also revealed something deeper: a partnership in which both men consistently supported the other’s ambitions.

Rigby Stood Beside Kenworthy’s Olympic Return

That support became especially visible during Kenworthy’s journey back to the Winter Olympics.

The athlete had retired from professional freestyle skiing after the Beijing Games so he could focus on acting. In May 2025, however, he announced his return to competition with the goal of reaching another Olympics.

Kenworthy ultimately represented Great Britain at the 2026 Milan Winter Games, competing in his fourth Olympics and finishing sixth in the men’s halfpipe.

Rigby was there to support him through the pressure.

On Feb. 21, he celebrated Kenworthy’s fourth Olympic appearance by posting a photograph of himself kissing the skier on the cheek beside the halfpipe. His message expressed both love and pride in what Kenworthy had accomplished.

Kenworthy later thanked those who had helped him through his comeback, including his coach, family, friends and sponsors. His message to Rigby was particularly intimate: he described his partner as his “calm in the storm.”

That phrase captured an important part of their relationship. Rigby was not simply present for the public triumph of another Olympic appearance. He helped Kenworthy manage the fear, pressure and uncertainty surrounding a return to elite competition.

Months later in Mallorca, Kenworthy was ready to make their commitment permanent.

A Public Love Story With Deeper Meaning

Kenworthy’s engagement also arrives more than a decade after he publicly came out as gay in October 2015.

One year earlier, he had won a silver medal in slopestyle at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. When he competed at the 2018 PyeongChang Games, he was one of only two openly gay men representing Team USA.

Throughout the years that followed, Kenworthy spoke openly about the importance of LGBTQ+ visibility, particularly in sports and other highly public careers. He argued that seeing people live openly could encourage younger generations to imagine a future in which they did not have to hide.

His engagement to Rigby is first and foremost a personal milestone. It is the story of two people who briefly met, found each other again years later, survived long-distance dating and eventually built a home together.

Yet because Kenworthy has spent much of his public life advocating for openness, the announcement carries another layer of meaning. His happiness is no longer something that exists privately behind an athletic career. It can be celebrated openly, from an Olympic halfpipe to a cliff overlooking the sea.

No wedding plans have yet been revealed. For now, the couple is enjoying the surprise Kenworthy quietly spent a month creating.

Rigby traveled to Mallorca expecting a few peaceful days with his partner. He left wearing a platinum ring, surrounded by friends and engaged to the man whose first appearance in his life nearly a decade ago had seemed like nothing more than a passing encounter.

Sometimes the most important beginnings are visible only in hindsight. For Kenworthy and Rigby, one brief meeting in Sydney eventually led to a shared home in New York—and a boat ride off the coast of Spain that changed their future.

Source: https://people.com/gus-kenworthy-and-andrew-rigby-are-engaged-exclusive-12034033