WWE's Sonya Deville announces engagement
Congratulations are in order for WWE Superstar Sonya Deville, who has announced her engagement.
Deville (real name: Daria Berenato) proposed to girlfriend Toni Cassano on the day after Valentine's Day, when they visited a wine cellar cave in Towaco, New Jersey.
However, there was a big twist: After Toni said yes, she grabbed her purse to reveal an engagement ring of her own.
Speaking to People, Deville explained: "I proposed, then Toni's like: 'Grab my purse.' And she pulls out a freaking ring box, and she's like: 'I've been carrying this around in my purse for four months. So whenever you proposed, I could give you a ring immediately back.'"
She said yasss! 💍 😍 pic.twitter.com/ehyA1EDKgV
— Daria/Sonya Deville (@SonyaDevilleWWE) February 22, 2023
Related: WWE Champions: A complete list of every title holder on Raw, SmackDown and NXT
Cassano described the evening as "the biggest blur ever", adding: "All I remember is both of us shaking so bad."
Deville revealed that she met Cassano last April after a WWE show.
"This is going to sound really cheesy, but I knew [she was the one] the second I saw her," Deville said.
"I got her a front-row ticket to my show, and I was going to take her out to dinner after. But I didn't have time to meet her before the show, so the first time I ever saw Toni was when I was coming out doing my entrance ready to wrestle and I looked into the crowd."
Related: WWE's Seth Rollins wears Big Red Boots on Raw - and proves they're functional
Reflecting on her journey in WWE so far, Deville added: "It's so cool to me to be in this position right now, to be engaged as a gay female in the WWE, and to have proposed to my fiancée.
Because I look back at seven years ago, eight years ago when I wasn't even openly out yet, and I was hiding relationships, and I was still trying to figure out my comfortability with being gay and who I was.
"So, I think it's crazy to see the evolution of my life and my journey and the fans that have been able to come along that journey with me. I think now it's just so cool to be like: 'I never thought I'd be here, but look guys, I'm here and you guys can do it too. And it's okay to be who you are. It's okay to love who you love, and it's so special and so important to accept yourself.'"
Back in 2020, Deville spoke to Digital Spy about the experience of coming out on WWE reality series Tough Enough.
"I was asked on the spot on live television — was I in a relationship?" Deville explained. "And so I ended up coming out on national TV unexpectedly."
She continued: "I remember my first thought was, 'Is that going to cost me this audition, this tryout? Am I not going to get onto the show because of that?'
"I didn't know any better. There were no LGBTQ+ representatives in the company at the time, so I didn't know if it was okay. I didn't know if it was going to hinder my chances.
"I was naive and I didn't realize that it's more than okay. There just hadn't been anyone in the company that had been open about it yet."
Catch up on Raw, Smackdown, NXT and all the big WWE action via the WWE Network or BT Sport. US viewers can access the WWE Network via Peacock.
You Might Also Like
