- Grandmother Shirley Erskine, 83, is thrilled with news
- Andy called her to tell her and she joked 'it's about time'
- Children of Dunblane have made congratulations cards that she'll deliver
- Butchers, local pub owners and resident all celebrated in their own way
- Wimbledon champion's representatives confirmed engagement yesterday
- Miss Sears has been in a relationship with Murray for more than nine years
- Proposal puts an end to years of speculation about the couple's future
Andy
Murray’s hometown today sent their congratulations to their local hero
after he announced his engagement to long-term love Kim Sears.
Children
made colourful cards congratulating the tennis ace on his love game,
while the local butchers created a message in sausage.
And Murray’s beaming gran joked: 'It’s about time'.
Shirley Erskine, 83, said she was delighted to reveal her good news after being initially sworn to secrecy.
Celebrations commence: Dunblane
business's and residents congratulated their local hero Andy Murray
today on his engagement to Kim Sears. Andy's granny Shirley Erskine is
pictured here with congratulation cards made by kids at the Dunblane
Centre.
Speaking
at her Dunblane home, she said: 'We’re delighted. Kim is a lovely girl.
Andy phoned and said "just to tell you, I proposed to Kim today". His
grandpa Roy and I were thrilled.
'Roy told him "I hope she said yes". I asked, "can I give my congratulations to Kim", and he said "she’s right here".
'He
passed the phone to Kim. She was very excited - we all were. I’m told
it’s a lovely ring. Kim has been such a great support to Andy through
all his highs and lows.
'We couldn’t be happier for them both.'
Mrs
Erskine agreed to deliver to her grandson handmade cards created by
local children at the Dunblane Centre, adding: 'They’re brilliant. He’ll
love them.'
Marco McCool, 10, whose card read 'Andy + Kim 4 ever', said: 'Andy’s an amazing tennis player – and now he’s a very lucky guy.'
Katie Wales, aged eight, added: 'I want to say well done – Kim’s lovely.'
Thrilled: Speaking at her Dunblane
home, Shirley said: 'We're delighted. Kim is a lovely girl. His grandpa
Roy and I were thrilled'
Gemma
Greer, centre manager, said: 'Everyone is really excited. We watch all
Andy’s games and have gone through all his ups and downs.
'Everyone’s
hoping they will be married at Andy’s hotel, Cromlix House. It would be
lovely if Dunblane was able to give them a good send off for married
life.
'It will be the event of the year.'
One
person posted a congratulations message, complete with love hearts, on
the City of Dunblane sign welcoming visitors to Murray’s home.
Another
attached a pink heart to the golden post box in Dunblane High Street,
painted in celebration of Murray’s gold medal at the London Olympics
Engaged at last: Tennis star Andy Murray has proposed to Kim Sears, his partner of more than nine years
Supportive: Roy Erskine and Shirley
Erskine, grandparents of Andy Murray, watch his match on Centre Court
against Croatia's Ivo Karlovic on day four of the 2012 Wimbledon
Championships
Passing on the news: Mrs Erskine
agreed to deliver to her grandson handmade cards created by local
children at the Dunblane Centre
Even
the Dunblane butcher was celebrating – with a congratulatory message
reading 'Andy and Kim', with a love-heart all made out of sausage.
Butcher Connor Wilson, 22, of Bennett’s of Dunblane, said: 'It’s our way of saying congratulations and all the best.
'Hopefully the wedding will be in Dunblane and we can treat Andy and Kim to a nice big steak.'
Andy’s
old school pal, Stewart McClymont, 27, said: 'When we were kids all we
talked about was football and wrestling, but we’ve all grown up and I
couldn’t be more pleased for him.
'Kim’s a lovely girl. She’s down to earth, easy going and obviously exactly what Andy needs. They seem perfectly suited.'
Pub
landlord Alan Duncan, 48, who has shown all of Andy’s big matches at
the Dunblane Hotel in recent years, said: 'We all wish Andy and Kim many
more happy years together. It’s not been his best year on the court but
he’s still managed to end the season on a high note.'
Andy proposed to Kim Sears, 26, last week with a diamond ring he chose himself and she immediately said ‘yes’.
Look of love: Left, a candid moment between the pair, and right, after winning Olympic gold in 2012
Sources said the couple had hoped to keep their engagement secret for some time and have not yet made plans for their wedding.
Murray,
27, who flew to the Philippines for a tennis tournament yesterday, had
not even shared his happy news with some of his closest family members.
The sportsman’s mother Judy said last night that she was ‘thrilled’, but his grandmother said she had heard only ‘rumours’.
Since
last year becoming the first British man to win the Wimbledon singles
title since 1936, Murray has repeatedly batted off questions about when
he would ask Miss Sears to marry him.
But he popped the question last Wednesday, placing a painstakingly selected engagement ring on her finger.
Miss Sears was just 17 and still studying her A-Levels when she met the up-and-coming tennis player at the US Open in 2005.
Murray
wooed her with phone calls and flowers. But she did not allow their
burgeoning romance to affect her schoolwork, and she achieved straight
As in her exams. The couple managed to keep their relationship quiet –
until Murray won his first tournament in California in 2006 and ran
through the crowd to give his girlfriend a kiss.
They
separated briefly in 2009, reportedly because of the sports star’s
video games obsession, but rekindled their romance after six months and
have stayed together since. She has been credited with improving the
tennis player’s scruffy appearance and helping him to control his fiery
temper on court.
British tennis player Andy Murray
poses with the 2013 Wimbledon trophy along with his fiancee Kim Sears
during the Wimbledon Champions Dinner in July 2013, a day after he won
the men's singles final match
Victor: Andy Murray of Great Britain
climbs into his player's box to celebrate with friends, family and
members of his coaching team following his victory in 2013
Kiss for a champion: Kim Sears reacts at the men's final at Wimbledon in July 2013
Murray,
who grew up in Dunblane in Scotland, has spoken of the strength he
draws from Miss Sears, particularly in the light of his own parents’
separation when he was just 11. ‘I work better in a relationship. At the
end of a day, especially if I’ve lost a match, I don’t like talking
about tennis, so it’s nice to have someone to talk to about other
stuff,’ he said in 2009.
The
couple live in a £5.6million house in Oxshott, Surrey, with their two
Border terriers, Rusty and Maggie May. There had been a series of
rumours that Murray was about to propose to Miss Sears before their
engagement was officially confirmed yesterday.
In
January he jokingly tweeted: ‘We are getting married just after
Wimbledon, should be a great day.’ The message prompted Twitter users to
offer their congratulations, until he admitted that it was just
‘tongue-in-cheek’. Murray has already spoken of how he would like to
have children with Miss Sears.
Domesticity: The pair pop out to do some shopping in 2010
The tennis star's mother Judy and Sears celebrate his Wimbledon win over Stanislas Wawrinka in June 2009
Murray holds the British flag aloft following his 2012 Olympic triumph over Roger Federer
In
his 2013 memoir Seventy-Seven: My Road to Wimbledon Glory, he wrote: ‘I
would like to start a family and try to be a good father. That’s
important to me. It’s something that I’m starting to think about because
Kim and I have been together for eight years.’
Last night Mrs Murray, 55, who was recently voted off Strictly Come Dancing, said simply: ‘I’m thrilled.’
The
sports star’s grandmother Shirley Erskine added: ‘I know there have
been rumours but that’s as much as we know. It would be nice, without a
doubt.’
A spokesman for Murray confirmed that the star had become engaged but declined to give any further details.
Family: Andy Murray and Kim Sears at the wedding of his brother Jamie Murray to Alejandra Gutierrez
Early days: Andy Murray with girlfiend Kim Sears celebrates his win over Lleyton Hewitt in 2006
No comments:
Post a Comment