Wilhelmina Shrimpton and Ben O’Keeffe celebrated their one-year anniversary recently. Photo / Amalia Osbourne
After falling head-over-heels for each other a year ago, the broadcaster and rugby ref are planning their future together – kids and marriage included.
For most Kiwi couples, ideas of where to go for a third date include the movies, the beach or even mini golf. But Wilhelmina Shrimpton and Ben O’Keeffe really stepped things up. They went to the Taj Mahal, the world-famous monument to undying love, after a whirlwind start to their romance.
When Woman’s Day meets the couple at the cosy home they’ve moved into on Auckland’s North Shore, it’s clear the broadcaster and rugby referee are completely smitten.
“I just love everything about him,” admits Wilhelmina. “I’ve never felt like this before. He makes me feel confident, supported and I constantly have the warm fuzzies.”
The feeling is mutual, which is why Ben, 35, flew to India to spend time with her after just two dates. “Best decision ever,” grins Ben.
In a truly modern love story, the pair first met through Instagram. Wilhelmina, 34, knew of Ben as she had worked with his brother Michael at Newshub. After a bit of encouragement from one of her former Today FM colleagues, she took a leap of faith and followed him on the social media platform.
“I didn’t think he’d notice since he’s got so many followers,” shares Wilhelmina. “But the next day, he followed me back, then he followed my business page. A week later, this notification popped up with a message from Ben asking me out for a drink. He played it cool for a week.”
Ben was actually at a pre-Rugby World Cup training camp in France and didn’t get a chance to make contact until he was in South Africa to referee a match.
“Being overseas made it easier to wait,” tells Ben. “I knew who Wilhelmina was and I thought she was quite beautiful, so I wanted to ask her out. I was living in Wellington at the time, but I was coming up to Auckland to train with the All Blacks, so I asked if she wanted to catch up.”
The pair met at Bar Albert for an electric first date. “I was so nervous before I arrived,” recalls Wilhelmina. “It was wild that we hadn’t met in person before because we have so many mutual connections – media and sport are quite intertwined.”
Ben was relieved it was definitely a date rather than a journalist meeting up with a potential story subject. “I was like, ‘Please, I hope this isn’t all business!’” he says.
They were both keen to see each other again but Wilhelmina was off to Queenstown to MC an event the very next day and Ben was heading to Scotland in a week. They ended up squeezing in one more date, then she headed to India to work with an international news network in preparation for the G20 Summit in Delhi.
The pair worked out that with their hectic work schedules, they wouldn’t be able to see each other again for around 100 days, so Ben decided to fly back from Scotland through Delhi.
“We got to go on this beautiful sunrise tour of the Taj Mahal for our third date, which is definitely a bucket- list experience!” marvels Wilhelmina. “We had the most magical six days with each other and then he was like, ‘I’d really love you to come to Paris for the Rugby World Cup!’”
It was in the City of Love that Wilhelmina got to watch Ben referee. “The first game I saw him do live was the Rugby World Cup semi-final, which is mad!” she says. “It was a stadium full of 85,000 people.”
The couple have since tagged along on some of each other’s work trips, which Wilhelmina says is a wonderful advantage of working for herself. “I just do a check-in with the boss and she usually says it’s cool,” laughs Wilhelmina.
She took the plunge and set up her own business, Wils & Co Media, after being made redundant from her dream job as investigations editor and host at Today FM in March last year. The journalist was initially terrified about going out on her own, but it paid off as she’s now run off her feet with broadcasting, MCing, writing and PR jobs.
“I’ve worked in about five different newsrooms since I finished at Today FM,” she explains. “I’ve been able to work with so many different businesses, too, and had so many varied experiences. It’s been brilliant. And if I need some time to travel with Ben, I can because half of what I do I need to be here for, but the other half I can do remotely.”
Being highly motivated and successful is part of what unites them as a couple – Ben juggles his role as a top-level referee with working as a locum ophthalmology registrar when he’s not on the field.
Although Ben’s dad, Peter, who is now living in the UK, refereed matches up to provincial representative level in his heyday, it wasn’t something that initially interested Ben.
“Dad used to ref in Blenheim, where I grew up,” says Ben. “So when I was younger, I’d play rugby in the morning, then I’d watch him referee in the afternoon with a bag of chips and a Coke. But I never saw it as something I’d want to do – I was just watching the game.”
However, in his second year of medical school in Otago, his dad encouraged him to give it a go. Ben relished the chance to get involved in the game again and he refereed Heartland Championship rugby throughout his studies. While working as a junior doctor in Wellington, he moved on to Super Rugby games.
In 2015, Ben was offered a full-time role with New Zealand Rugby, but he still enjoys getting to work in medicine when he has a chance – particularly as his rugby career has become more high-profile.
“It’s allowed me to have that balance,” Ben says. “I take my job in rugby very seriously and I work really hard to do the best job possible. But I also get to do medicine part-time, which gives me perspective on other things that are really important.”
Ben didn’t hesitate to introduce Wilhelmina to his mum, Debra, who gave the relationship her tick of approval. “Mum can see how happy I am with Wils and how much I enjoy being with her,” shares Ben.
Wilhelmina’s mum Wendy is also on board. “That’s the resounding thing from my side as well. My family and friends keep saying, ‘We’ve never seen you like this’. I just feel like I’m bouncing around in a little happiness cloud.”
Ben says there was no question that he would move from Wellington to Auckland to be with Wilhelmina.
“That was pretty easy to do, actually. I just need to be close to an airport. It made total sense to me when I knew what our relationship was going to be. I moved up pretty quickly.
“I’m so attracted to Wilhelmina’s drive and passion for life. When I see what she does on the radio and then she just pivots to do her MCing, it makes me really proud. I definitely feel like I’ve found that last piece of the puzzle. And she genuinely makes me laugh, which is really cool, too.”
Wilhelmina says although they might appear serious when they’re at work, they’re both super-silly together, which is part of the appeal. “We both have outrageous personalities, which we can’t always show,” she giggles.
“We’re both absolutely out the gate. It’s so nice to find someone who matches my energy, and who has the same drive and ambition as me.”
Recently, the couple celebrated their one-year anniversary. “We marked the occasion with dinner at the restaurant we had our second date at,” says Wilhemina. “The bar where we met on our first date was closed, but we’re planning to head back there to relive the moment.”
Moving in together hasn’t taken the shine off the new relationship either. Ben can’t think of a single thing that annoys him about Wilhelmina and all she can come up with is the way he hangs the towels. “I’m going for efficiency!” Ben protests.
The only hiccup has been the pets – Wilhelmina owns a cat, Smooch, who is not impressed with Ben’s dog Albie. “They’re surviving, not thriving, at this stage,” says Wilhelmina. “But it’s okay. Smooch lives upstairs, except when she comes down to eat.”
Now they live together, are marriage and children on the cards?
“All of the above,” smiles Ben. “I’ve always wanted a family. I’ve always wanted a house where you can just settle down and be happy. But I’ve always wanted to do that with the right person, so I’ve waited. Now I’ve found Wilhelmina, I’m sure all of that stuff will happen.”
A beaming Wilhelmina adds, “I definitely see marriage and children in our future. I just feel grateful every day that we’ve met and the timing of everything is just divine. It’s all just been so perfect.”
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