Sofia Richie’s tropical proposal may have been straight out of a romance novel, but fiancé Elliot Grainge struggled to ask his future father-in-law for her hand in marriage.
Lionel Richie told Access Hollywood Tuesday that Grainge, son of Universal Music Group CEO Lucian Grainge, “was a nervous wreck” at the time.
“Poor guy. I thought he was gonna pass out. But he survived it,” the “American Idol” judge and “Hello” singer, told the outlet. “I was gonna rib him a little bit, but I didn’t wanna play. He was gonna faint. So, it was wonderful.”
Though the 23-year-old model and Grainge, 27, are young, Richie’s future son-in-law “had a head start” when compared to Sofia’s other beaus.
“I’ve known him since he was 12, how ‘bout that?” said the Grammy winner. “So it was one of those things where I don’t have to go back and check out the kid. I know who he is. ... She’s in good hands.”
Richie added that knowing each other for so many years also means that he “can’t intimidate” Grainge — which he’d struggle to do anyway given that his daughter would “blow it for me anyway: ‘Don’t be afraid of my dad anyway. He’s a teddy bear.’”
“He knows who I am,” said Richie, who said he has more of an “adviser” relationship with Grainge. “He always has this question he wants to ask me about: ‘Well what about this? And what about that?’ So I’m kind of like a little encyclopedia to him, in terms of questions that he doesn’t normally know growing up.”
The “deeply in love” couple, having confirmed their relationship in April 2021, took to Instagram last week with stunning photos of their beachside engagement. Sofia Richie was previously in a long-term relationship with “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” star — and Kourtney Kardashian’s baby daddy — Scott Disick, 15 years Richie’s senior.
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