One of the star’s of The Lord of the Rings trilogy enthusiastically assisted a Valentine’s Day proposal at Fan Expo Vancouver. Matthew Purdy, the owner of Langley’s Toy Traders, said he’d planned the surprise for six months, wanting to do something over the top for his partner of nearly 10 years, Kimberley Chalmers. Purdy enlisted the help of actor John Rhys-Davies, who played Gimli in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. “I said, ‘Listen, John, I know this is a big deal,’” Purdy explained to CTV News. “‘I know you’re at this convention to generate revenue because you’re doing signings, photo-ops. I’ll happily pay you for your time.’ And he was like, ‘No.’ He did that because he really wanted to.” The proposal was captured on camera and has since gone viral on social media. https://www.instagram.com/p/DU3dbaFFf8w/ Rhys-Davies can be heard saying “Here I have, the ring of power” prior to Purdy getting down on one knee. Chalmers said she was in shock when the actor pulled out a sachet containing a ring. “I’m like, ‘What? What?’ And then he drops to his knee and I’m like, ‘Oh my god, what is happening?’” Purdy’s proposal fell on Valentine’s Day, as well as the 25th anniversary of the Lord of the Rings films. His team at Toy Traders built a hobbit-themed booth at the Vancouver Convention Centre as part of Fan Expo festivities. Rhys-Davies, as well as the four actors who played hobbits in the movies, signed the green hobbit door Purdy proposed in front of. The couple said they bonded over the films during their early days of dating. “When we met, we found that we both like chicken wings and we both like Lord of the Rings,” Purdy said. “I mean, it’s hard nowadays to find someone to match with, right? So, it was just chemistry.” The couple is now deciding where they’ll get married and whether New Zealand, where the movies were filmed, is an option. “That’s a fun idea,” Purdy said.
