Taika Waititi appears on Louis Theroux's show while he's interviewing Rita Ora. Video / Sky NZ
Rita Ora broke from tradition by proposing to her husband Taika Waititi.
The 34-year-old singer has revealed how she went against convention by getting down on one knee to propose to the Thor: Love and Thunder filmmaker as the pair holidayed in Palm Springs during the summer of 2022.
Ora,who married the Kiwi director in the same year, told Davina McCall’s Begin Again podcast “I just did the whole thing, We were in a hotel room in Palm Springs, like a really nice, fancy one. Filled it up with balloons and cake, which is my favourite thing in the world.
Ora also shared “I got the bands made, I didn’t want anything too flashy.”
Waititi didn’t quite react how she expected, with Ora sharing “He walks into the room and he’s like, ‘What the hell is it? Valentine’s Day?’
“Anyway, I got down on one knee, and Taika absolutely loved it.“
In the interview Ora shared details of her Palm Springs proposal to Waititi. Photo/Getty Images
Earlier in the episode, McCall asked Ora to reflect on the early stages of her relationship with Waititi, prompting “he is your soul mate.”
Ora reflected “With all my experiences, it was a lot to do with people feeling uncomfortable with dating someone that I guess other people know, or that has attention.”
“This was the first time I met someone who had none of that, who had his own struggles, so much so that there was no time for him to be insecure about other things. That was so refreshing.”
Ora shared that the two bonded over both of their mothers having had breast cancer after being introduced by Twilight actor Robert Pattinson.
“We just kicked it off. We sat there for hours in the sun, and then it went into nighttime, bottles of wine later, and we just didn’t stop talking. Then we became friends for a very long time.”
Asked what the moment it all clicked was, Ora said it “was timing”.
McCall also inquired about the couple’s first kiss, given they’d been friends first, asking “It must have been electric?”
“It was,” Ora replied. “But it was also like ‘uh oh, what have I done?’ because if this doesn’t work we’ve ruined our friendship.”
In the interview Rita Ora also spoke about her relationship with Taika Waititi's ex, director Chelsea Winstanley. Photo / Getty Images
“I just have the best time with them because I’m like that fairy godmother that gives them all the sugar and all the ice cream and then sends them back.
“I’m very lucky, I’ve got great step kids. These girls are just the coolest kids ever.”
Ora also told McCall she loves Taika’s ex-wife Chelsea Winstanley ‘dearly’ and described how much she respects the relationship between the parents.
The Anywhere singer said: “Being signed to Jay-Z, she is my biggest inspiration. She took it upon herself to really look after me, and I still see her.
“She’s always been so, so nice and proud, and checking in on my family and friends I’ve had since childhood, remembering their names. I mean, it’s crazy.“
Ora recently explained that music is what keeps her “alive”, even though her career has gone in different directions through judging stints on TV shows such as The Masked Singer as well as acting roles in films such as Descendants: The Rise of Red.
Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz at Capital’s Summertime Ball with Barclaycard at Wembley Stadium in London earlier this month, she said: “Music is what keeps me alive, to be honest. I wake up listening to music; it runs in my blood. I think we all secretly need music in so many different ways”.
The Heat singer described how her natural creativity is what keeps her motivated.
“I love working and being creative, and it keeps my blood flowing. If I get excited, I love it - fashion, movies, music. I just need to have that excitement.”
