When Rita Ora and Taika Waititi first got together last year, it felt like it was just a pandemic hookup, right? Meaning, they were both available and in the right place at the right time (in locked-down Australia) and thought “why not?” Eighteen months later and I guess I was wrong! They’re still happening and they seem pretty serious about each other. They’re constantly on red carpets and attending big events together. They’re still such an odd couple to me, but sure. Apparently, they’re loosely engaged and planned to have some lowkey wedding sometime soon.

Singer Rita Ora has got engaged to film director Taika Waititi — after they made almost “simultaneous” wedding proposals to each other. Oscar-winner Taika, 46, and party girl Rita, 31, are now preparing a low-key ceremony soon before a glitzy celebration later in the summer.

A pal said: “This isn’t about them doing a big showy thing and crowing about it beforehand. It’s just about them being in love and deciding the time is right to formalise their relationship. They couldn’t be happier.”

Pop star and actress Rita is currently working on several film projects and is also a coach on The Voice Australia. Meanwhile, New Zealander Taika is planning a string of movies, including a new addition to the Star Wars franchise. The imminent nuptials are set to take place as soon as their work commitments end.

The pal adds: “They didn’t do a whole, ‘Will you marry me?’ thing and an Instagram post. There’s no ring or big build-up. They just got closer and closer and eventually said to each other almost simultaneously, ‘I want to marry you’. It’s actually really romantic and just exactly the way they are together. So the plan is to marry abroad, as soon as their respective projects end, with their closest friends and family around them. And then there will be a big celebration in London at a later stage, when they get the chance, with all their famous friends there. But for now it’s about getting down the aisle and making things official. There are a few details to iron out, but it’s coming soon and it’ll be beautifully intimate and perfectly them.”

[From The Sun]

Rita is good at leaking these kinds of stories to British tabloids and Taika seems fine with it, so be it. I had the wrong assumption about their whole energy and I know that now. I also think Taika is really in his midlife-crisis era – he’s 46 – and his answer has been to go full-on celebrity with Rita.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instagram, Backgrid.