Newcastle man dressed in disguise surprises girlfriend with Universal Studios proposal

Watch the moment Jermaine Hudspith surprised his girlfriend Emma Gilmour with a proposal in Universal Studios Florida

A man surprised his girlfriend with a proposal in Universal Studios by disguising himself in fancy dress and flying out to Florida without her knowledge.

Jermaine Hudspith, from Newcastle, had been planning the stunt for around a year after his girlfriend, now fiancé, Emma Gilmour booked a trip to Universal Studios in Orlando with her sister and her friends.

The plans were kept secret from all but a handful of people as Jermaine kept things on a need-to-know basis.

"I had been thinking of a way to propose to my girlfriend for quite a while," he explained. "I wanted to do it a bit different, a bit crazy.

"About a year ago she said she was going to Florida and asked if I wanted to come but I was thinking to myself this is a perfect opportunity.

"There's been a lot of planning. Literally, nobody out in Florida had any clue that I was coming."

Jermaine made up a story that he was heading out to Ibiza instead to try and keep suspicions to a minimum. He also pretended that he had broken his phone to avoid being tracked through GPS.

"I was really paranoid going to the airport in case I saw someone who knew her on the flight," he said. "So I booked the airport lounge and sat in the corner.

"When I got on the plane I kept my bucket hat on and kept my head down, just trying to be quiet.

"It was the most stressful thing ever trying to make sure people didn't find out."

Jermaine tried to find out as much about Emma's plans as he could without making her suspicious.

He was up at 4am to be one of the first people into the park that day, eventually basing himself near the Harry Potter rides in Hogsmeade, knowing Emma would eventually come past.

Dressed in sunshades and a cap with a novelty wig, he grabbed the attention of one of Emma's friends at the back of the group to record the moment which will live long in the memory.

"It's just a massive relief," Jermaine said. "Even like my Mam and Dad didn't know.

"I was so stressed building that up over a year and as it got closer and closer. It's been emotional!"

Jermaine and Emma are now set to enjoy the rest of their holiday in Florida before properly starting wedding planning when they return to Newcastle.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...