A spokesperson for Duane Chapman confirms that the reality TV star has proposed to his girlfriend, less than two months after going public with their romance and ten months after his wife Beth passed away.
- May 5, 2020
AceShowbiz - Duane Chapman a.k.a. Dog the Bounty Hunter is engaged to be married. The reality TV star has proposed to his girlfriend Francie Frane, less than two months after confirming they are dating in March. "They're very happy and looking forward to a long life together," his spokesperson tells the press.
In an interview with The Sun, the couple detailed how Dog popped the question to Francie over the weekend in a romantic candlelit proposal at their home in Colorado. "I wasn't expecting it at all," Francie said. "I think I had gone to pick up some food and then when I came back he had all the lights turned down with just a few lights on and a bunch of candles lit."
"So when I came in I was like, 'Wow, this is awesome.' Then he said, 'Come in, sit down because I need to talk to you,' " she went on describing. "So I put all the food in the kitchen and I came in and he said, 'I know that God brought you into my life and I don't want to spend one moment of it without you.' "
She continued while tearing up, "And he got down on one knee and he opened the ring box and he said, 'Will you marry me and spend the rest of our lives together?' Who can say no to that? It was wonderful."
Dog and Francie are planning to wait until the coronavirus lockdown is over to get married. While a date has not been set yet, he hopes to have the "biggest wedding there's ever been" open to all his fans, in what he says will be "one hell of a party."
"So we're word negotiating right now because I want to open it up," the reality TV star said of how he would make that happen. He explained, "It would be one hell of a party and it's just what people need right now."
Dog's betrothal to Francie comes just 10 months after his wife Beth Chapman died of cancer. He had vowed prior to her passing that he wouldn't remarry, though he didn't rule out dating again. Thus, it's no surprise that his engagement was met with mixed reactions.
Addressing fans' reactions, his daughter Bonnie Chapman took to social media to come to her father's defense. While she noted she's "very thankful for those who are supportive," she also asked "those who want to criticize" to "please just let my father live in peace."
"Let him be happy, please for the love of God let him be," she wrote in the comments section of one of Dog's posts. "My father has gone through so much this past year without my mother. It's been extremely difficult to see one parent pass, and the other so intent on following. My father deserves to be happy. He's still got my mother's name on his chest. He'll never forget her and the love she gave him. She would be happy my father is in love and finding peace."
She told the critics to "please keep your comments to yourself," adding, "And if you can't, then it reflects more on you than him." She went on sharing, "Life has never been easy for my dad, but love is something that comes naturally to him."
Calling Francie a "wonderful woman," she said that "no one can replace" her mother, but "it's okay to let new people in." She continued, "Life is filled with so much sorrow and hurt, in times like this is when love is found unexpected. For those who claim to know my mother's wishes: please remember that we as a family went through every excruciating and painful detail of what was next."
She claimed that her late mother would be happy for Dog, recalling, "I had this talk with her, my mother had so much love for my father, she would never want him to be alone. My mom wanted him to be happy no matter what. There is always going to be one and only one Mrs. Dog. Welcome to the pack, Francie."
When a fan asked her how she felt about the news, Bonnie said, "Of course. I miss her [every day], but I know that she sent Francie." She went on gushing about the 51-year-old widow, "She's a blessing and is helping my dad heal day by day."
