Former America's Next Top Model winner Eva Marcille got a bigger Christmas present than she expected over the holidays: an engagement ring from boyfriend and House of Payne actor Lance Gross.
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"I cried. It was totally unexpected. I'm still in shock," Marcille told Essence following the engagement. "I could not even sleep because I was afraid that I might wake up from the most beautiful dream ever."
Marcille -- who was known as Eva Pigford at the time -- competed on Top Model's third season as a 19-year-old in 2004. Now 23-years-old and using her middle name as her surname, Marcille met Gross when she auditioned for a House of Payne role two years ago and said that she instantly fell for him.
"I'm proud to call Lance mine because I was in love with him before we ever met, she told Essence. "He's my dream guy!"
The 27-year-old Gross, who turned away from a potential career as a track and field professional to pursue acting, said that he also instantly knew Marcille -- who recently joined the cast of CBS' The Young and the Restless soap opera -- was the woman for him.
"I knew the day I laid eyes on her because I just got that feeling," Gross told Essence. "She took full control of my heart and is the only woman that has ever made me feel that way - that’s how I knew she was special."
While the couple has not yet set a wedding date, they are reportedly considering a summer wedding in 2010.
"To put it simply, he makes me a better me," Marcille told Essence. "I am now complete."
About The Author: John Bracchitta
