Courtney Stodden Shares Poolside Kisses With Fiancé Chris Sheng Hours Before Shocking Engagement
Courtney Stodden had all their famous curves on display just hours before getting engaged to now-fiancé Chris Sheng.
On Friday, the 26-year-old media personality and the entrepreneur were spotted celebrating Memorial Day Weekend together in Palm Springs.
Sporting a tiny lilac bikini, the blonde bombshell exchanged poolside kisses with the startup adviser, then hopped aboard a yellow ducky pool float, took a few sips from a refreshing beverage, and stopped to pose for the camera.
Making sure to keep their youthful skin looking vibrant, Courtney was photographed applying what appeared to be sunscreen, and later modeled a wide-brimmed beach hat.
For his part, Chris looked absolutely shredded as he confidently rocked lime-green speedos, putting his abs front and center.
He appeared calm, cool and collected despite knowing he would soon be presenting his partner of five years with a very large and very sparkly cushion-cut diamond ring.
"I said yes ...OH and the ring made me gag it's so beautiful 🔥😍💎 #engaged #stopasianhate #diamondsareagirldbestfriend," Stodden captioned a video of several still shots of them showing off their newest bling.
Courtney – who identifies as nonbinary – was previously married to actor Doug Hutchison when the former was 16 and the latter was 50, having previously described themselves as "an abused minor who was married to a predator." Stodden endured years of public ridicule for the marriage, and much of it came from the Twitter-loving wife of John Legend, Chrissy Teigen.
"So this happened!" Sheng captioned two photos of Courtney wearing the beautiful ring and one photo of a romantic, candle-lit place setting. "Not how I planned but the moment was right. On Friday, May 28 I proposed to the love of my life and they said Yes. I feel so blessed and fortunate."
"We have both grown so much since we first met, and the fact that we have both been able to grow into better, stronger, more secure individuals while still being in a relationship together makes me have faith that this partnership will last a lifetime," he added, noting that, "for the first time we're both experiencing unconditional love. The truest kind of love. The kind where we may not always like each other but will ALWAYS love and respect each other."
Chris ended his sweet post by promising to always be Stodden's "rock, support, and shoulder to lean on - no matter what. I got you. Ily."
And when he says he'll always be there for them, that includes whenever celebrities like Chrissy Teigen send them messages urging them to kill themselves.
On May 12 – the same day the 35-year-old model-turned-cookbook author issued a public apology to Stodden for publicly and privately fantasizing about their death in decade-old tweets – Sheng stood up for his partner.
"As someone who has witnessed first hand the effects of traumas resulting from severe bullying (by media, celebrities, and general public scrutiny) on an adolescent, I can only hope that others empathize and do not excuse the behavior, rather go inwards to see how they can be a part of the solution," he wrote on social media. "That is my hope."
Chris went on, "I know being in a relationship with this caring spirit for the past 5 years has made me become a better person by forcing me to take a hard look at myself in the mirror. None of us are perfect, but if we are willing to change and work towards being better, the world will be better as a result."
"I mean if you have trouble empathizing, imagine your niece, nephew, cousin, mother, son or daughter," he suggested. "Would there ever be a scenario where it would be ok for someone to tell them to go kill themselves (over the course of years, mind you)?"
After the cyber-bullying scandal went viral earlier this month, several vendors and stores that sell or were going to sell Chrissy's cookbooks and/or cookware line – including Bloomingdales, Macy's and seemingly Target – reportedly cut ties with the star.