How exciting! Actress Diora Baird, who can next be seen in Cobra Kai, the YouTube Red sequel series to the hit Karate Kid franchise, got engaged to comedian Mav Viola on Nov. 19, HollywoodLife.com can EXCLUSIVELY reveal. Mav popped the question at the Morton Aboretum in Lisle, Illinois. Congrats to the happy couple! We can’t wait to see Diora and Mav take on this next journey together. Diora tells HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY all about the Mav’s romantic proposal below:
“The last thing I saw coming was a proposal! Not because I didn’t want that or fantasize about marrying the love of my life, Mav, but because I am not the easiest person to surprise. I had to work in Chicago and it was the same weekend as Mav’s birthday, so I surprised her with a ticket and she came along with me. Of course, she was the one who ended up doing the majority of the surprising! She insisted we go to The Morton Arboretum which is outside of Chicago and walk around for their Christmas Illumination Ceremony. At first I was resistant, only because it was like 20 degrees and I’m a total baby in the cold. But I’m a sucker for anything Christmas related. So, we bundled up and walked around what felt like a magical elf-filled Christmas wonderland. I held onto hot cocoa while we walked arm in arm and tried to think warm thoughts. I noticed Mav was shaking, but I assumed she was shaking from the freezing temperature, little did I know it was actually from nerves. She kept trying to convince me to go off the trail, but I was like, ‘No way! We’ll fall into a ditch and freeze to death!’ A bit dramatic, yes, but safety first! Finally, she just pulled me off the path onto the grass and started to mumble about how much she loves me and my son Otis and wants to be a family and raise babies and so on. We’ve talked about this stuff before and she’s ‘jokingly proposed’ plenty since she is a comedian after all, so I had no clue she was being serious. Finally, she got down on one knee and other families walked by and I laughed and rolled my eyes assuming it was just another one of her silly jokes. Next thing I knew, she held up the ring and I have never felt so shocked. I think I froze. I honestly don’t even remember what happened next. I just kept laughing and asking, ‘Are you really serious?!’ over and over again. I’m still in shock to be honest. The ring is straight up out of a fairy tale. I’ve never been that into rings or jewelry even, but this one is just perfect for me. I can’t explain it, it just looks and feels right. Just like us. I feel as if this is what all the fuss has been about in movies and books and I never understood that until now. Mav is my true real-life love story. We walked around the Arboretum again, roasted marshmallows, and drank more hot cocoa while I continued to exclaim, “Oh my God, I can’t believe it,” and giggled non-stop. I feel so giddy, it’s as if the Christmas magic entered the proposal and the ring so every day feels like Christmas morning now. I hope the magic never fades, but with Mav as my partner, I don’t think it ever will.”
Diora, best known for her roles in Wedding Crashers and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, announced her relationship to The Advocate earlier this year.
HollywoodLifers, send your well wishes to Diora and Mav in the comments below!