Entertainment

Gina Rodriguez Confirms Those Engagement Rumors & Her Excitement Is Truly Contagious

by Parry Ernsberger
Vivien Killilea/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Are they or aren't they? Fans finally have an answer: Gina Rodriguez confirmed her engagement to Joe LoCicero in an interview with People on Tuesday. She also mentioned her engagement when talking to Bustle on the same day. And in case that's not enough chatter about the big news, Rodriguez said she's "very happy" right now when appearing on Access Live.

All of the speculation began because of the Jane the Virgin actor's intriguing new bling she sported on Instagram recently, while posting photos from a vacation celebrating her 34th birthday. The main photo in question shows Rodriguez shyly smiling at a table on the beach, and you can't help but notice the enormous diamond ring on her finger. "34. 'They thought I was a Surrealist, but I wasn't. I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality.' - Frida," she wrote in the caption.

When asked about the Frida Kahlo quote and what it means to her, Rodriguez tells Bustle, “I'm thinking about it a little more in the way that my whole life, people always thought that I just dreamed big, that I was just up in the clouds, but I wasn't. I was making exactly what I wanted happen, and I'll continue to do that. And maybe it was an allude to me being engaged."

As for her comments to People, the engagement confirmation was a little more explicit. "I am [engaged]! He’s the best," Rodriguez reportedly told the publication. "He’s the f—- best. We’ve been engaged for like a month — I’ve kept it a secret for a while."

Rodriguez's happiness is contagious and that couldn't have been more clear than during her Access Live interview, where she slow-sipped on a margarita while chatting with Natalie Morales and Kit Hoover on Access Live. The hosts didn't waste any time addressing the then-gossip. "We saw all through your Instagram feed some beautiful pictures," Morales said, "including one with a beautiful ring. Do you have some news, Gina?"

Rodriguez laughed nervously as they flashed another photo of her and LoCicero on the screen. "I, um, I am very happy," she replied. "Let's put it that way. I'm a very, very happy woman. I have a really great partner."

The show then zoomed in on Rodriguez's ring — they were really going for trying to get that confirmation — and admitted how they were coaxing the star to "fix her hair" before they went on air, in order to get a better look at her bling. Rodriguez, always a good sport, laughed and then slowly swept her hand across her face, thus allowing everyone a better look at her bling. It's pretty darn stunning. "I am very, very much in love," she told them. And to be honest, that's what matters most here.

The hosts then transitioned into asking what her vacation with LoCicero looked like: "Do you put electronics away? Is he one that likes to keep busy? Can y'all just chill?" Hoover asked. "We definitely just chill — we're active," Rodriguez replied. "We definitely both like to be active, and I got severely sunburned because I was like, running five miles in Mexico, which was crazy." (Sunscreen, girl. Gotta have it!)

Despite some goading from the hosts, Rodriguez refused to comment directly on whether or not she and LoCicero are actually engaged during that particular interview. She was, however, smiling a lot — like, grinning ear-to-ear, could not contain her happiness. It was really sweet, to be perfectly honest. And at least now the news is out in the open.

The couple started dating around August 2016, and apparently met while filming Jane the Virgin, Rodriguez told LIVE with Kelly and Ryan. FYI, LoCicero played a stripper. "We met on Jane, and then six months later, we saw each other in the gym," she explained. And the rest, as it's said, is history. As for what happens with wedding plans and next steps, fans will just have to wait and see.

Additional reporting by Meghan DeMaria.