Rosie O’Donnell gets engaged to police officer
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 07: (L-R) Elizabeth Rooney and Rosie O’Donnell attend Family Equality Council’s ‘Night At The Pier’ at Pier 60 on May 7, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Family Equality Council)
Comedian and TV star Rosie O’Donnell has announced her engagement to police officer Elizabeth Rooney.
O’Donnell opened up about her wife-to-be, who is a military veteran, in an interview with People on Monday (October 22), saying that the wedding would not be for “a long time in the future.”
She added: “We both decided that that would be best.”
Rooney posted a photo of her engagement ring. (blue_eyedsoul/Instagram)
The couple went public about their relationship in November 2017, and have been dating long-distance because they live in different cities.
“She lives in Boston now, and I live here in New York. It’s been a long-distance thing. It’s been great,” O’Donnell told the publication, adding: “I think she’s a wonderful woman.”
In the interview, O’Donnell jokingly addressed the couple’s 23-year age gap, saying Rooney was adamant in dispelling any of her concerns.
“I keep telling her I’m too old for her. But she doesn’t seem to care,” the former View co-host said. “She’s like, ‘I was in the Army! I put my life on the line every day you think I don’t know who I want to date?’ I’m like, ‘Alright I guess that’s true.’ She has a lot of good points.”
Rooney also confirmed news of the engagement, posting a photo of her engagement ring on her hand on Instagram, along with the caption: “Y E S ❤ .”
Social media users have congratulated the couple.
Commenting on Rooney’s post, one Instagram user said: “Congratulations Liz Rosie really found a great catch!! I’ve always said you have some real talent and I’m extremely happy for you! You’ve always loved your Rosie.”
Another wrote: “Congratulations to you Liz and to Rosie! You have found your soul mates in each other. I am thrilled for both of you.”
And one person said: “You seem like a wonderful person – I’m so happy for you two! ❤️ May your love carry you both through every up and down life has to offer!”
O’Donnell was previously married to Michelle Rounds, but they separated in 2014 and divorced two years later.
The pair went public about their relationship in November 2017. (blue_eyedsoul/Instagram)
Rounds tragically died in September last year, reportedly by suicide.
In October 2017, O’Donnell gave her first interview since Donald Trump was inaugurated as US president in January of that year.
She told W Magazine that, every week, there is “devastation” left by the president.
“It’s taken a year for me to get my equilibrium back, to come back up to the surface, to really go, ‘Okay, every Monday is the hope that this is the last week’ — and every Friday is a devastation,” she told the publication.
“There are people who tell me, ‘Oh it’s going to be another year, another two years,’ and I seriously worry whether I personally will be able to live through [his presidency] and whether the nation will be able to live through it and survive.”
