IT’S taken a quarter of a century but Ian McDermott has finally popped the question.

The Crosland Moor man got down on one knee to propose to Ann Boltwood, his girlfriend of 25 years.

The couple, who have three children together, will tie the knot at Huddersfield Town Hall next month.

Ian, 40, described how he finally asked Ann, 42, to marry him.

“We had eight or nine friends round a few weeks ago for some drinks,” he said.

“I popped the question and she said yes. She was a little bit shocked and she asked me again the next morning to see if it was real.”

The couple’s friends were also shocked.

“We’ve been together 25 years and no-one ever believed we would get married,” said Ian.

“They said they’re not going to buy their wedding outfits until the last moment, but it’s definitely going ahead.”

The couple got together in Fartown in 1987 when Ann was pregnant with her first child Laura.

They went on to have three children together: Sally, 21, Kylie, 19 and 10-year-old Joe.

However, the couple have never shared a house. Ian lives on William Street in Crosland Moor and Ann lives on nearby Moorside Avenue.