Can’t help falling in love! Bachelorette star Gabby Windey’s fiancé Erich Schwer visited her during rehearsal for Dancing With the Stars ahead of her Elvis Night performance.
“He’s so excited to see me dance,” the 31-year-old ABC personality told her dance partner, Valentin Chmerkovskiy, of her beau during the Monday, September 26, episode. Schwer, 29, came into the rehearsal room to watch the pair practice.
“I didn’t know you were such a talented dancer, and I was blown away 100%,” the New Jersey native told his future wife. The duo got engaged during the season 19 finale of The Bachelorette which aired on Tuesday, September 20.
“When I met you, I, like, immediately was 100 percent myself. I’ve never met anybody that I felt that comfortable with — that deep of a connection. I felt like I really knew you for years,” Schwer said during the proposal. “I didn’t know it, but I had met my soulmate. You finally let your barriers down, and I think our relationship transcended to this insane level. … You literally make me feel like I’m the only person in the world. And I will fight every day for the rest of my life to keep that feeling. I love you, Gabby Windey. You are amazing. You are the most amazing person I’ve ever met. It’s you and me until the wheels fall off. I’m head over heels in love with you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Windey and Chmerkovskiy, 36, fittingly danced to “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You” during the Illinois native’s first Dancing With the Stars performance since revealing her engagement to the world.
“Erich is gonna be there, so I have a cheerleader in the audience,” the Bachelor Nation alum said during the episode. “Erich’s support means everything to me. I get to channel all of that love into my dance.”
Following the performance, Schwer came onstage and exchanged a series of kisses with the former cheerleader as the crowd cheered. “I’m so proud of you,” he said. Host Tyra Banks said she had “tears in her eyes” after the romantic moment.
The judges were impressed by the dance, with Bruno Tonioli saying he was “totally, totally swept away.”
Carrie Ann Inaba compared the couple’s chemistry to Chmerkovskiy’s dynamic with Rumer Willis during season 20. Banks, 48, for her part, invented her own word to describe the performance, calling it “eloquentatious.” The duo scored a 32.
Despite his happy ending with Windey, Schwer expressed uncertainty about being ready to take the next step in their relationship prior to popping the question.
“He said, ‘I want to continue to date you,’ so that doesn’t scream, ‘I want to propose,’” Windey said near the end of the first hour of the Bachelorette finale. “I don’t want to force him into a decision.” Speaking to producers, she asked: “What am I supposed to do — walk away because he doesn’t want to propose?”
Once the season finale aired, the reality TV personality shared a carousel of Instagram photos of her and her fiancé. “Hard launch,” she captioned the post.
