This is the moment an electrician got down on one knee in front of hundreds of people during the finale of Billy Elliot at the Palace Theatre.

Nick Reid popped the question to stunned girlfriend Roisin Donnelly after he was brought on stage during the show’s closing number.

The heartwarming proposal had been two months in planning and 26-year-old Nick had even managed to get Roisin’s family to the matinee performance on Thursday without her finding out.

Roisin, also 26, says she was completely unsuspecting of her now fiance’s plans.

She said: “About 10 minutes before the end he said he needed to go to the bathroom – I didn’t think anything of it, then the next thing I saw was him in the middle of the stage!

“One of the cast had walked him on and at first I thought, is he going to start dancing?

“But then he called me on stage and I was in complete shock. There was so much going on and everyone was cheering in the audience!”

But this wasn’t the end of the surprise for Roisin.

Nick Reid, 26, popped the question to stunned girlfriend Roisin Donnelly, also 26, during the finale of Billy Elliot at the Palace Theatre in Manchester
Nick Reid, 26, popped the question to stunned girlfriend Roisin Donnelly, also 26, during the finale of Billy Elliot at the Palace Theatre in Manchester

The student nurse added: “When we got to the lobby my parents and sisters were there – Nick had managed to arrange it all without me knowing, they’d been sat in the circle and watched the entire proposal from above! It was so lovely for them to have been there!”

Nick, who lives with Roisin in Huddersfield, admitted he was terrified walking onto the stage.

He said: “It was the most nerve-wrecking I’ve ever done!

“I’d been planning it for about two months and managed to sneak away before the show to meet the stage manager who was helping me.

“Afterwards we stayed on stage with the rest of the cast until the curtain came down and they all congratulated us – they were all so nice.”

Deb Green was in the audience and caught the magic moment on camera.

She tweeted the photograph saying: “@BillyElliotUK was fabulous today, then this happened #BillyElliot #proposal #manchester.”

Cast member Amy Rhiannon Worth shared the image adding: “Brilliant Proposal onstage at end of our matinee!! @BillyElliotUK @PalaceAndOpera brought a tear to my eye... she said “yes” xxxxx.”

Performer Tom Bainbridge said: “Congratulations to the couple that got engaged on stage after todays matinee performance of @BillyElliotUK.”