3 days ago
Girl power moment: Bella Thorne proposes to fiancé Mark Emms
Bella Thorne recently made headlines after proposing to her fiancé, Mark Emms, reversing traditional gender roles and prompting spirited debates about the significance of the moment.
Sharing intimate photos of the heartfelt moment at their home, Thorne revealed the unconventional proposal in a post celebrating their unfolding love story.
Known for her provocative persona and bold career moves, Thorne continues to challenge norms and spark conversations in her personal life and creative endeavours.
Although her provocative public persona keeps her in the spotlight, Bella Thorne never shies away from making headlines and topping the trends list.
The most recent reason is the public's reaction to photos of the 27-year-old getting down on one knee to propose to her fiancé, Mark Emms.
According to a report by E! News, Emms, a producer and entrepreneur, proposed to Thorne in 2023. In line with her history of challenging norms, the former Disney star flipped traditional gender roles by proposing to her 45-year-old fiancé.
'3 years ago we met. 1 year later he proposed, Now 1 year later so did I,' she wrote in the caption of a photo-dump-style Instagram carousel post.
The images and videos show Emms surrounded by candles, flowers and heart-shaped balloons in what appears to be their home.
Their outfits – her black pants and white sweatshirt, and Emms' black T-shirt, jeans and baseball hat – indicate that the proposal was impromptu.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by BELLA (@bellathorne)
While many in her mostly young, female fanbase praised her boldness, others dismissed the heartwarming moment as attention-seeking behaviour.
'The comments on my post are hilarious!! Totally split down the middle. Half of u are like let's not normalise proposing to your partner – other half is like f**k yeah girl power this is the sweetest!!' she wrote in a post shared on her Instagram Stories a day after her engagement post.
— BITCHIMBELLATHORNE (@bellathorne) August 17, 2025
Thorne is an American actress, singer and writer who began acting as a child to support her family. She landed uncredited roles in films like Stuck on You (2003) and appeared in TV shows like Entourage and The O.C.
Her breakthrough came with recurring roles in Dirty Sexy Money (2007–2008) as Margaux Darling and My Own Worst Enemy (2008) as Ruthy Spivey, earning a Young Artist Award for the latter. Thorne's time playing CeCe Jones on Disney Channel's Shake It Up (2010–2013), starring alongside Zendaya, cemented her celebrity status and earned her an Imagen Award.
She later transitioned from Disney's wholesome image to edgier projects, appearing in films like Blended, The DUFF, Amityville: The Awakening, and Infamous and led the series Famous in Love between 2014 and 2020.
READ | Four years strong: The Mthombenis mark anniversary with romantic adventures in Asia
In August 2020, Thorne joined OnlyFans, charging $20 per month for subscriptions and quickly amassing 50 000 subscribers. She went on to earn millions per month from the platform after her subscriber base grew and her earnings offset the commission deducted by the platform. According to reports, she earned $1 million on her first day and $2 million in a week, becoming the platform's top earner at the time.
She went on to claim that she opened the account as research for a film with Sean Baker and to destigmatise sex work, while also planning to fund her production company and charities. Baker denied any involvement in the project.
Her $200 pay-per-view (PPV) post, promoted as 'nude' but delivering lingerie photos, garnered accusations of fraud by her subscribers who paid for the content believing they would see her without anything on. The resulting chargebacks prompted OnlyFans to cap PPV prices at $50, tips at $100 and extend payout periods from 7 to 30 days in some regions, changes many creators attributed to Thorne's actions, though OnlyFans denied this.
Her account remains active but has shifted focus to other creative pursuits.
