ABC News Correspondent James Longman Proposes to Boyfriend — Watch the Sweet Video

"There was quite a lot of crying," he admitted

Published on June 26, 2020 02:28 PM

ABC News foreign correspondent James Longman is engaged.

The London journalist shared the news with his followers on Friday with a touching video of the proposal, which took place at home amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"We're engaged," he announced. "I asked Alex in the garden while his mum filmed, trying to stop his nephew from running over to us. And then the rest of the family came over. There was quite a lot of crying."

In the video, Longman's fiancé's mother can be heard explaining the moment to the young boy.

"What are they doing?" the boy asked.

"James has just asked him to marry him, darling," she said. (On Twitter, Longman wrote, "The lady whose voice you hear is Alex's mother. Supportive parents are so unbelievably important.")

After Longman and his fiancé Alex embraced, other family members joined them in the garden to celebrate the happy news.

"He said yes!" Longman said as everyone cheered.

Longman, 34, reflected on his coming out experience in a personal essay on National Coming Out Day last October. Longman said he began confiding in friends when he was 16, and finally shared the news with his mother in an email when he was 24.

"If you're reading this, wherever you are, know that your experience, as unique as it may feel now, has been shared by millions through time," he wrote. "Some have had it worse, others have had it easier. But there is a community waiting for you, with love and understanding.

"You'll feel as though your life has only just begun," he added.