Man proposed to now-wife 43 times before she agreed to marry him
Luke Wintrip, 36, pulled off extravagant proposals - including renting a castle in Prague, Czech Republic, horseback riding on a beach in Jamaica, as well as several candle-lit dinners - since 2018, in a bid for marketing CEO Sarah, 38, to say "yes" to marrying him.
Explaining the reasoning behind the first rejection, Chelmsford, Essex, East of England, resident Sarah told The Sun newspaper: "I just said, 'No, we've only been together for six months.'
"I loved him, but I didn't want to say 'yes' to something I later retracted."
However, on the 42nd proposal, Sarah insisted to Luke: "'Next time you ask, I'm going to say yes, but just you wait.'"
A year later, Luke took the mum-of-three to Greenwich, South East London, England - the home of Greenwich Mean Time.
He said to Sarah at the time: "'This is the centre of the world and I want you to marry me.'"
She recalled: "He finally won my heart.
"He should probably get a Guinness World Record. I am grateful he persisted for so long."
Despite getting married in Jamaica, Caribbean, in May, the wedding was not all smiles as Sarah battled pain and ended up in hospital with a life-threatening condition because a cyst burst in her groin.
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7NEWS
3 hours ago
- 7NEWS
How traveling to every country helped this American cope with a mental health disorder
He had struggled with obsessive compulsive disorder since childhood but Cameron Mofid says one thing helped him cope — traveling the world. Mofid, who is originally from San Diego, found he was constantly replaying and over-analysing conversations or 'obsessively needing closure or certainty'. But the 'freeing' sensation that came with being able to hop on a plane and travel to a new destination made him feel as though he could 'live with uncertainty'. 'OCD feeds on control: controlling your environment, routines, and outcomes,' Mofid tells CNN Travel. 'But when you're navigating chaotic borders, sleeping on floors, or figuring things out in countries where you don't speak the language, you're forced to surrender control. It's uncomfortable but also freeing.' Huge goal Mofid says the mental health condition — which the Mayo Clinic describes as a 'pattern of unwanted thoughts and fears known as obsessions' — can 'dominate your thoughts and actions in ways that are exhausting' and difficult to explain. 'Travel became my way of coping — first as an escape, then as a form of healing,' he says. And then, travel turned Mofid into a world record breaker. He had already clocked up visits to many destinations while playing tennis competitively when he came up with the idea — while grappling with OCD during the COVID-19 pandemic — of traveling to every country in the world. And in April 2025, Mofid, who is of Iranian-Egyptian descent, finally completed his quest to visit all 195 UN-recognised countries and territories after jumping on a plane to North Korea with some of his closest friends. While it's a feat that has been achieved only by an estimated 400 people, it was particularly significant for Mofid as he became, by some reckoning, the youngest person to do it. His record didn't stand for long but he says being exposed to so many different cultures has changed his perspective on life completely. 'Visiting every country wasn't just about geography,' Mofid says. 'It was about learning how to live with uncertainty, find calm in discomfort, and connect with people from every walk of life.' Mofid says the decision to try to visit every country came as a lifeline during a particularly low point. 'One day, I was in my apartment, and my anxiety, my OCD is kind of spiraling out of control,' he recalls. 'And I was on my computer just looking up randomly how many people had ever been to every country. 'More people had been to space than had been to every country in the world. I thought that was crazy.' Mofid soon realised that while the Guinness World Record for being the youngest person to do this was held by 21-year-old, he was technically able to beat the record listed by online platform NomadMania, which requires interactions with locals and visits to cultural or geographical landmarks in each country for it to count toward the record. 'The record was (held by) a guy who was 25 and a half,' he says. 'At the time I was 20 and I said, 'Maybe that's an amazing, crazy goal that I could reach'.' Feeling inspired, Mofid, who had previously worked in marketing, set up an event marketing company to earn enough cash to be able to achieve his goal, giving himself a three-year deadline to begin the challenge. 'I told myself, after I graduated college I would (begin,) which is what I did,' he says. Although he'd traveled to some countries as a child, he decided to 'restart' — only counting those countries he'd visited from the age of 18 onwards. Thanks to the 100 or so countries clocked up during his extensive travels for tennis, as well as trips he'd manage to squeeze in during his studies, Mofid needed to travel to just over 90 new countries to complete the challenge. In order to ensure that he did so 'legitimately,' Mofid came up with a list of his own personal requirements, while adhering to those set out by NomadMania. 'My rule was I had to do something in each country,' he says. 'Something meaningful. Most countries, I stayed at least four days.' 'Logistical nightmare' Mofid then created a 'massive spreadsheet' detailing the numerous combinations of flights and routes he could take, along with the many visas he'd need to obtain. 'It was a logistical nightmare,' he says, explaining he opted for the combination of flights and routes that 'made the most sense financially to do on such a budget'. In late 2022, Mofid 'threw a bunch of clothes into a Nike duffle bag,' along with some shoes, and began the journey to join the club of travelers who have visited all 195 UN-recognised countries and territories in the world. 'I started with the countries around Europe,' he explains, admitting he wanted to work his way up to the 'ultra-dangerous countries' by beginning with those he was more comfortable traveling to. 'And then maybe the South American ones. Australia, these sorts of countries that are not seen as dangerous.' To keep costs as low as possible, Mofid took many overnight buses and stayed in budget accommodation. 'I stayed in some two-star hotels,' he says. 'I stayed in a hotel in the country of Niger with no electricity and no running water … I've hitchhiked in crazy countries to get to the next border.' During a visit to his 115th country, West Africa's Nigeria, in January 2023, Mofid visited a floating village named Makoko and was so impacted by the experience he went on to found a non-profit organisation named Humanity Effect, to support children in the community. 'That's something that kind of is the biggest legacy for my travels, I suppose,' he says, explaining he has returned to the village several times over the years since. However, Mofid's journey certainly wasn't without its setbacks. After traveling to North African country Algeria in April 2024, Mofid became extremely ill and says he was unable to move from his bed for 15 hours. 'I couldn't even reach over to grab my phone to call anyone,' he recalls. 'I started having weird visions, hallucinating, sweating like crazy. I was so hot, and then I was freezing.' Mofid concedes this was probably the only point in the journey when he seriously considered giving up. Highs and lows 'That was the closest I got to a breaking point,' he says. 'I just thought to myself, 'Why am I here? Why am I essentially in a state of paralysis in the middle of the Algerian Sahara?'.' Thankfully, he recovered after being admitted into a hospital and was able to fully experience Algeria, which Mofid describes as 'unbelievable'. 'It's one of my favourite countries in the whole world,' he says. 'The countries that receive the least amount of tourism are often the ones where you have the best experience, because you feel totally immersed in their culture.' Mofid was also incredibly taken with Yemen, visiting the destination in February 2023, and says walking through the streets there was like 'going back in time'. 'To see people dress the same way that they were hundreds if not thousands of years ago,' he says. 'To see people living in mud houses, to see people still using flip phones.' Both Algeria and Yemen are subject to US State Department travel advisories. Caution is urged in Algeria due to 'terrorism and kidnapping. In March 2025, an advisory said travelers should avoid Yemen 'due to terrorism, civil unrest, crime, health risks, kidnapping, armed conflict, and landmines'. 'It's a country that's obviously in a very politically and economically difficult spot right now,' Mofid says about Yemen. 'But again, what you find is that the countries that are in some of the worst situations have the kindest people.' While he says he was grateful to be doing something so few people have either the time, means, or desire to take on, Mofid admits he felt incredibly lonely a lot of the time. 'The reality is that 95 per cent of the time I was alone,' he says. 'You have to really learn to get comfortable being lonely and kind of love it in a way. 'To love really getting to know yourself, because you're going months on end without seeing anyone you know in places where there's maybe not a lot of connectivity … 'So that sort of loneliness can be very isolating at times. But at the same time, it really pushed me to make friends and meet people.' Aged 25, he visited North Korea — the final country on his list — by participating in the Pyongyang International Marathon, an annual race held in the capital city. 'That trip was just incredible. I mean, getting off the plane and touching down in my 195th and final country…' he says. 'I became the youngest person to ever visit every country per NomadMania, barely. I beat the guy who was the previous record holder by, I think, six weeks.' Big celebration Mofid celebrated reaching his 'grand finale finish line' by heading to a bar with his friends. 'That was the big celebration, to have some beers in the world's most isolated and remote country,' he says. 'We went to a dive bar. People don't even know they have those in North Korea, but they do.' Pferdmenges Lucas, 23, from Germany, may have since beaten Mofid's record, according to NomadMania's UN Master's list. Mofid particularly enjoyed getting the opportunity to watch people in North Korea 'going about their daily lives' and doing simple things such as running, commuting to work, and playing games with each other. 'I think that kind of sums up what I had learned throughout the whole journey,' he says. 'We have shared interests, we have shared hobbies … 'So those sorts of things, seeing that innate ability of humans wanting to connect with each other in the most isolated country in the world was something extraordinarily powerful.' Now back in California, Mofid is slowly readjusting to being in one place for an extended period of time. Reflecting on his journey, he admits he's incredibly proud of himself, and has learned 'no one is going to believe in you as much as you do yourself'. 'When I told my friends and my family that I had this mission, I was going to visit every country in the world, not a single one of them told me that I could do it,' he recalls. 'They all said, 'You're going to go to Afghanistan and North Korea and Somalia and Yemen and the Congo, and you're going to get yourself killed'.' Mofid was able to make 'hundreds of friendships' throughout his travels and is still in touch with many of the people he met along the way. 'It just goes to show the goodness of humanity,' he says. 'The fact that I could walk down a street and a busy slum in Central Africa and be welcomed with a smile, a glass of tea and an invitation of dance.' During the course of the journey, Mofid met many others who struggled with mental health disorders like his, and says this helped him immensely. 'Travel helped me recognise that mental health disorders don't discriminate,' he says. 'People from all over the world shared a lot of the same plights and challenges that I did with my own mental health, and there's something very comforting in that.' Mofid still struggles with OCD to this day, and says he's accepted it will always be a part of his life in 'some capacity'. 'But being able to accept that and speak so openly about my experiences makes it so much less scary,' says Mofid. 'And I feel like now, seven years after this whole journey began, I'm in control of my OCD, whereas before it was in control of me.'
Perth Now
9 hours ago
- Perth Now
Tom Holland admits James Bond would be 'pinnacle' of his career
Tom Holland has admitted playing James Bond would be the "pinnacle" of his career. The Spider-Man star is said to be in the frame to portray the suave spy in Denis Villeneuve's upcoming movie in the franchise and while the 29-year-old actor refused to be drawn on the speculation, he suggested landing the role would be a dream come true. Speaking to Gordon Ramsay on YouTube, he said of the rumours: 'Listen, there's speculation at the moment. We'll keep it to a minimum for now. We'll get there one day." The Hell's Kitchen star then further pressed Tom on the issue. He said: 'Can you imagine what's going to happen to your life if you do? First of all, you'd love that opportunity, right?' Tom replied: 'I mean every young British actor, it's the pinnacle of working in our industry. I already consider myself to be the luckiest kid alive. I could not have dreamed to have the career that I have.' The Devil All the Time actor's comments come shortly after Rocketman star Taron Egerton dismissed the idea he could replace Daniel Craig as 007 because he is "too messy". Asked about the possibility of playing Bond, he told Collider: "I don't think I'm a good choice for it. I think I'm too messy for that. "I think I'm not— I really love James Bond and particularly Daniel Craig's tenure. But I think I wouldn't be good at it, and I think there's so many cool, younger actors who would be great for it. I think it would be wasted on me, probably." Taron observed that leading the Bond franchise is "quite an undertaking". And he suggested that the scale of the project might not suit him, either. The 35-year-old actor explained: "That's not to say that I don't have aspirations and plans and also that I wouldn't be interested in doing something that's more commercial, because of course I would. I think I'm a period in my life where, as you say, I've been probably following the things that speak to me on a creative level a little bit more, but, you know, I'm sure I won't feel that way forever. "But James Bond is quite an undertaking and I think, one, as far as I'm aware, nobody's asking me to do it." Taron suggested that he might find more satisfaction in pursuing other film projects. He said: "It's possibly not quite the thing that would make me happiest. I do think it's a big old undertaking, it kind of consumes your life, a role like that." Meanwhile, Sydney Sweeney is reportedly being lined up to play the next Bond girl. The 27-year-old actress is wanted by new 007 director Denis Villeneuve for a role in the upcoming film and the move is said to have the backing of Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, with the company acquiring creative control of the spy franchise from long-serving producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. A source told The Sun on Sunday newspaper: "Sydney is the top name on the casting sheet for Bond. "Denis believes she is hugely talented, as well as having an alluring appeal to younger generations, vital in modernising the franchise. "They've hung out together a lot and he has admired her stratospheric rise. "Plus Sydney has the quality of being athletic and able to perform physical scenes, as well as being feminine and following in the legacy of the Bond girls."
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
And Just Like That... to end after three seasons
And Just Like That... is ending after three seasons. The Sex and the City sequel series will finish on August 14 following the conclusion of the two-part finale, showrunner Michael Patrick King announced on Friday (01.08.25). In a message posted on HBO Max's social media pages, he said: "And just like that... the ongoing storytelling of the Sex and the City universe is coming to an end. While I was writing the last episode of And Just Like That... season three, it became clear to me that this might be a wonderful place to stop. "Along with Sarah Jessica Parker, Casey Bloys and Sarah Aubrey, we decided to end the popular series this year with a two-part finale and extended the original series order from 10 episodes to 12. "SJP and I held off announcing the news until now because we didn't want the word 'final' to overshadow the fun of watching the season. It's with great gratitude we thank all the viewers who have let these characters into their homes and their hearts over these many years." And Just Like That... launched in 2021 and saw Sarah, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis reprise their Sex and the City roles as Carrie Bradshaw, Miranda Hobbes and Charlotte York Goldenblatt respectively. However, Kim Cattrall did not return as Samantha Jones - although she did make a cameo appearance in season two and has been mentioned in episodes through text messages with Carrie. Sarah admitted recently that she doesn't actually watch the show because she hates seeing herself on screen. The 60-year-old star told Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen: "I don't not watch it because I'm being cavalier about my relationship [to the project]. I don't watch it because I don't love watching my work [and] myself." However, the actress insists that she cares deeply about the programme. Sarah said: "It doesn't touch on how I feel about the experience or how much I care. In fact, it's because I care that I can't watch it." She also played Carrie in the original Sex and the City series - which aired between 1998 and 2004 and spawned two movies - and has always relished the experience of portraying the character because of her alter ego's curiosity about sex. Parker said: "(It) is not like me - I don't talk about that at all even with friends. I'll talk about it globally, but I don't sit and share intimate details of my life that way."
