Whirlwind romance: Vick Hope 'engaged' to Calvin Harris

After a five-month whirlwind romance, Vick Hope and Calvin Harris are reportedly engaged to be married.

The couple stepped out in public for the first time on Monday, at the Chelsea Flower Show, with the Radio 1 DJ spotted wearing an impressive sparkler on her ring finger.

The Scottish DJ, 38, is believed to have asked the radio presenter, 32, to marry him after getting down on one knee at his farm in Ibiza, Terra Masia.

In April, Hope shared a photo of a tree, believed to be on the DJ's farm on the Spanish party island.

Harris posted the same tree, where it is believed he later proposed to the former Strictly contestant, on his own Instagram account.

While neither party have confirmed the news, if Harris and Hope are engaged they certainly aren't the only celebrities to have enjoyed a whirlwind engagement and planned to wed soon after getting together.

Take Ariana Grande, for example. Having revealed she was officially dating Dalton Gomez in May 2020, the couple went on to wed in an intimate ceremony at home in Montecito, just one year after confirming their couple status.

Then there's George and Amal Clooney, with the actor seemingly keen to shrug off his bachelor status the minute he met the inspiring human rights lawyer.

“She was brilliant and funny and beautiful and kind. I was sort of swept off my feet," he revealed on the SmartLess podcast hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett.

"We got engaged after a few months and got married within the first year that we met. It surprised me more than anybody else in the world and everybody else was surprised.”

Watch: Vick Hope says volunteering helps our mental health and our communities

The fact is, there's just something about a whirlwind engagement that has us all fascinated.

"Whirlwind engagements appeal to the romantic in us," explains Hannah Martin, psychotherapist and founder of Talented Ladies Club.

"There’s something fairytale about having such a strong, instant connection and wanting to commit to each other forever so soon after meeting. It feels like true love."

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On the flip side psychologist, Aaron Surtees, believes it is common to be curious about these type of romances because we may not fully understand them.

"The instant bond and connect felt between two people to make a sudden commitment such as marriage without knowing each other very long can feel unnatural or alien to others," he explains.

So what makes people who haven't been together that long want to wed so quickly?

Martin says it likely has something to do with the rose-tinted glasses found in the first flushes of love.

"Early on your relationship you’re not bogged down in the dull routine of everyday life," she explains.

"You’re still in a honeymoon phase where everything about your new partner feels wonderful and exciting – and their ‘cute’ habits haven’t had time top grate on you yet!"

More romantically, however, she believes getting married could feel like a joint confirmation of, 'Yes, you are the one!' and you don’t want to wait.

Surtees says that psychologically, a whirlwind romance is an infatuation between two people that grows very quickly and develops into strong romantic and sexual feelings for someone.

"The brain releases a surge in feel-good chemicals that can cement your feelings of infatuation for the person," he explains.

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But what happens when that wears off? Can whirlwind engagements stand the test of time?

According to Martin, there are plenty of examples of meet-then-wed relationships working out. In fact, she even highlights some advantages.

"Planning a wedding will probably be easier for a whirlwind engagement because you are both probably still in the early phase of wanting to please each other," she says. "So, there will hopefully be fewer disagreements about arrangements!"

Generally, however, she recommends waiting until the first flush of love passes before making a lifelong commitment to someone.

"You can’t really know the other person fully in a few weeks or months, and you don’t know what they are like once the excitement of being together wears off," she explains. "We all put on our ‘best front’ when we meet someone new, we want to impress."

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Successful marriages, she says, are built as much on friendship as they are love.

"You really need to like the person you choose to spend your life with, and I am not sure you can really get to know someone properly in a few weeks," she adds. "Yes, you may get lucky, but do you really want to chance something as big as your marriage on luck?"

While there are obviously cases of whirlwind marriages that won't last, Surtees says this isn't always the case.

"It is important to be confident you are compatible with your partner on all levels if you decide to jump into marriage quickly," he advises.

"In many cases the initial spark or lust stage will not last but this is normal in relationships and they can change and grow in different ways over time – it will take effort and commitment for the relationship to last."