Rose Gemma has extra sparkle

Good reason to smile: Gemma and John make a lovely couple
Good reason to smile: Gemma and John make a lovely couple
The happy couple on the night of their engagement
The happy couple on the night of their engagement

ONE of the most popular ever Kerry Rose contestants, Gemma Kavanagh, has extra sparkle in her life this week as she has just announced her engagement to long-time boyfriend John Cronin.

The stunning young Killarney woman, who stole public hearts when she flew the Kerry flag at the 2013 Rose of Tralee, has saved her own heart for the handsome John, also from Killarney.

They announced their engagement to family and friends at the weekend after the romantic John surprised Gemma when he went down on one knee to propose.

“John popped the question at Five-Mile Bridge in Muckross on Saturday afternoon. I was completely shocked,” Gemma told KillarneyToday.com.

John, from Muckross, is starting a new job with Dedicated Trustee Services in Killarney in March and, in advance of that, he flew out to Perth this week to visit his sister Niamh, her husband, Patrick McCarthy, and their baby girl Caoimhe.

“I will fly out to Dubai to meet him on St Valentine’s Day so we will celebrate the engagement there,” said Gemma who is the practice manager at the Torc Medical Practice in Killarney where her father, Domhnall, is chief medical officer.

She also completed a BCL in University College, Cork and received an MA in Journalism from Independent Colleges, Dublin.

Gemma is currently in rehearsals for the Irish Cancer Society’s Strictly Come Dancing fundraiser and she will jet out to Dubai to meet her husband-to-be the morning after the big dance-off in the INEC.