‘Unromantic’ man surprises A&E nurse with marriage proposal on her shift

He is known to have given ‘practical’ gifts like hammer and spanner on Valentine's Day.

‘Unromantic’ man surprises A&E nurse with marriage proposal on her shift
© Lena Plawecki
‘Unromantic’ man surprises A&E nurse with marriage proposal on her shift

An Accident and Emergency (A&E) nurse has been surprised with a marriage proposal while on shift. The two had been together for 19 years.

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Mr. Unromantic

Lena Plawecki was on duty at the Chesterfield Royal Hospital when her partner, Tony Clarke, appeared dressed as a Navy officer with a bouquet of flowers.

They had already planned their wedding for later this month but had done so without a proposal. Describing her partner as an unromantic person who once gave her a hammer on Valentine's Day, said it was the most romantic thing he had ever done.

The 56-year-old nurse from Renishaw, Chesterfield, said they had talked about marriage last year.

As an A & E nurse people were dying all around me and Covid got me thinking about things I perhaps wouldn't have thought about before. I'd had a particularly bad week at work and I said to Tony we need to get a will should something happen to one of us.

According to Plawecki, the idea to get married was a practical and convenient one, and so the proposal came as a pleasant surprise to her.

And when talking through it they kept saying 'it would be easier if you were married' so we thought let's book a wedding then and that was it. It wasn't very romantic, there was no proposal. I have never mentioned wanting a proposal before so this was a shock.
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Clarke, 54, dressed as the character played by Richard Gere from An Officer and a Gentleman. Chesterfield Royal Hospital

Hammered on Valentine’s Day

On Monday, Mr Clarke, 54, dressed as the character played by Richard Gere from one of her favourite films - An Officer and a Gentleman.

He's not very romantic at all. So this was totally surprising. For Valentines's Day and even in the early days I would get presents like a hammer or spanner because he said they were more useful than a bunch of flowers.

The couple, who have been married before and have two kids each, will get married at Bakewell Register Office on 13 November.

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