Former Narrabundah College student turned pop star, Tim Omaji, aka Timomatic, is engaged.
Tim, who is now playing Ike Turner in Tina, the Tina Turner Musical, in Sydney, recently popped the question to his long-term partner, Sydney hat designer Nadia Valavanis while on a break in Bali.
She posted the surprise proposal to Instagram, commenting "When a couple shoot turns into forever..."
Tim told us he surprised Nadia during what she thought was a shoot for her bespoke hat brand BSVII. His biggest concern was that he "didn't reveal my plan or act too weird".
"It all come together and I'm very happy," he said.
The one-of-a-kind ring was a green tourmaline stone set in silver and gold.
"Nadia is a very bespoke individual, very aesthetic and unique, so I wanted something that would go along with that," he said.
"Thankfully I got the seal of approval."
Nigerian-born Tim was only 10-months-old when he and his family moved to Canberra where his father pursued his career as a criminologist.
The former Narrabundah College student was one of the first teachers at Kulture Break, right back in its early days at Lanyon High School.
Tim considers Kulture Break founder Francis Owusu an older brother.
Francis was even the celebrant at the wedding of Tim's sister Tabitha, in 2013.
Maybe he'll stump up again for Timomatic's wedding?
"We've just started to think about the planning but he will be a major part of it," Tim said.
Francis was one of the first people Tim called after he set up the elaborate proposal.
"I'm very excited for him," Francis said on Wednesday.
"Being in the limelight, when you find something as meaningful as they've got, it's just extremely exciting."
Like Tim, Nadia has a multicultural background. She was born and raised in Greece, moving to Sydney when she was 21.
"When I first met Nadia, I said to Tim, 'She's something special, this one'," Francis said.
"She's a great companion for Tim and also quite a creative person as well and flows in the same direction, as creatives do."
Tim, who said they started going out in 2020, still sounded smitten.
"I think it's a mixture of loving someone and being in love with someone," he said.
"We are so connected on so many levels. She's the most attractive woman I've ever seen, she's my partner, she's everything.
"The one thing I will say is that I knew pretty much straight away she was someone I could grow with and I'd never met anyone before who I could see having a real future with."
Tim found fame, initially, as a finalist on So You Think You Can Dance Australia?
He also appeared on Australia's Got Talent, as both a contestant and judge.
Tim's since released his own music, appeared in musicals and been nominated for an ARIA.
He's now starring alongside Ruva Ngwenya, in Tina, the Tina Turner Musical, at the Theatre Royal in Sydney. The show is due to also play in Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne next year.
Tim said playing Ike Turner was a mentally exhausting role.
"It's a gift but I also feel a responsibility to be authentic," he said.
Francis, meanwhile, said he had seen Tim in Tina, which had a gruelling schedule of eight shows a week.
"It was incredible," he said.
Francis said Tim, 36, never forget where he came from.
"He's still Tim from Canberra," he said, with a laugh.
