Lebanese-American sports commentator and former adult film star> Mia Khalifa has gotten the internet buzzing after announcing her engagement to Swedish Chef Robert Sandberg, whom she describes as the >love of her life.
The 26-year-old shared the news on social media, where she flaunted her dreamy diamond ring in a series of photos.
Love in the Time of Social Media
Explaining how she fell for the Swedish chef, Khalifa revealed she had followed him on Instagram in February 2018 after the restaurant he was working at won a three-star rating in the prestigious Michelin guide.
He sent her a direct message soon after she followed him, and the duo directly hit it off.
A little over one year after he met Khalifa online, Sandberg popped the question last Thursday during a dinner date at Chicago's Smyth restaurant. According to Sandberg, who described his proposal as "a perfect night," his new fiancée "almost fainted."
Khalifa explained she did not see the proposal coming, since Sandberg had repeatedly expressed his dislike for restaurant proposals.
"Let this be a lesson to you all. Shoot your shot."
Expressing her love for her husband-to-be, Khalifa previously wrote:
"His smile brightens a whole room, his voice makes my worst days [...] seem surmountable, and knowing he will be by my side for the rest of my life gives me strength I didn't know I had. He makes me a better person, he makes me happier, he makes me believe I can accomplish anything, and he makes me Swedish pancakes at 1 a.m."
She went on to encourage her followers to take initiative (AKA to shoot their shot) in hopes of meeting their potential lovers.
If the couple carries through with the wedding, it would mark Khalifa's second marriage. She was reportedly married to her high school sweetheart in 2011, after which they got separated in 2014 and divorced in 2016.
Here's how social media reacted to the news:
"Mabrouks" were in order
People are rather surprised
"The most awkward Middle Eastern wedding"
Others were inspired by the couple's love story
Khalifa is regularly reduced to her former profession and shamed because of it ...
But people hit back against the slut-shamers
Arab women can probably relate to this tweet
FYI: Khalifa did porn films for just three months
Born and raised in Lebanon, Khalifa studied history at the University of Texas at El Paso and >worked in the adult film industry for three months in late 2014. Her films were released at the beginning of 2015 and quickly went viral overnight.
In December 2014, Khalifa was ranked No. 1 on PornHub, the adult film streaming giant. She was also the "most-searched porn star of 2016 and 2017 on rival site xHamster," media reports suggested.
In one of her more iconic films, the star wears a hijab while having sexual intercourse with a male actor and an older hijab-wearing actress, who plays the part of Khalifa's stepmother.
In 2018, the sports commentator >revealed she had left the porn industry after receiving death threats from the so-called Islamic State (or Daesh).