He said yes! Woman's pants-dropping leap year proposal to her boyfriend of 20 years

On the leap day, Saturday February 29, Danielle Watson, from South Tyneside decided to seize the opportunity and propose to her boyfriend of 21 years, Kevin Sewell, 41.

Danielle, 38, said: “We’ve been together 21 years, it’s now or never really.”

The proposal was planned for after the final whistle of Hebburn Involve's game at Lukes Lane.

Everyone on and off the pitch knew about the proposal, except Kevin. His team, in orange wore underwear printed with ‘Marry me Kev?’ and their opposition, the Rutherford Swifts, wore underwear printed with ‘Don’t do it Dan’ – a surprise for Danielle planned by one of her friends.

At the end of the game the players shook hands and when they posed for an end of game picture they all turned and dropped their shorts to reveal the proposal. Danielle stood at the end of the line, holding an engagement ring and a shocked Kevin shed a few tears before saying yes to his future bride.

Kevin, a warehouse worker, spends his free time coaching football. When she told those closest to her about her plans to propose, it was her friend Sharon who came up with the underwear idea and Danielle knew it was perfect. She said: “Football means so much to him, I knew he would love it and that he would find it funny.

“We were going to do it for my 40th next year, but something about right now just felt right.”

The couple from Hebburn who have two children together, met when Danielle worked for Kevin’s aunt when she was only 17-years-old, she said: “I was working for his aunt, I was 17, he asked me to go out on a date with him and we’ve been together ever since really.

“A good way to describe us is that we’re like chalk and cheese – we might be different but in our relationship we just click and we work.”

Danielle, now a nursing assistant said: “I’m so overwhelmed, he’s my best friend and my soul mate and the time feels right.”