The former “Real Housewives of Dallas” star says of her engagement to attorney Mark A. Anderson, “I feel like I’m in a dream.”
Kary Brittingham has gotten engaged.
On July 11, the ex-Real Housewives of Dallas actress received “the surprise of a lifetime” when her boyfriend Mark A. Anderson got down on one knee in Tuscany.
“I still can’t believe it, I am over the moon,” Brittingham, 53, tells PEOPLE over the phone from Switzerland, where she and Anderson are currently celebrating their engagement. “Even now, days later, I’m still sitting here surprised that it occurred. I feel as though I’m dreaming!”
At a covered bridge near their hotel in Italy, Anderson, a well-known injury lawyer, proposed to Brittingham.
She says, “It was the most romantic setting.” “He got down on one knee and started talking, and I just said, ‘Yes, yes a million times yes!’ before he even had a chance to ask me. I was overjoyed.
The dazzling sparkler that accompanied his proposal was a 12-carat ring with a 10-carat cushion-cut stone center and two 1-carat trapezoid baguettes on either side.
Brittingham laughs and says, “This ring is absolutely crazy. “He chose it on his own; I had no idea,” I said. It is ideal.
A year ago, the happy couple connected on Match.com. “I’m the one who actually saw him first,” Brittingham explains. “I was trying to get some rest while staying with a friend in Aspen for my birthday, which is on July 14. As I was going through Facebook, an ad for Match.com appeared. I quickly downloaded Match and signed up for it after like his photo while perusing. These last few are history.
He owns a second house in Los Angeles, where he was at the time, adds Brittingham. “But we spoke on the phone the following day and then every day, non-stop, for four hours, for like a week straight. It was absurd. Before ever meeting in person, we felt this connection.
When they finally met in person, that bond only grew deeper. By March, Anderson, a native of Ft. Worth, had sold his residence there and relocated to Dallas to be nearer to his future wife.
Brittingham says, “I can’t even explain to you how similar we are.” In actuality, he is my twin. I’ve always had the thought, “I need to date someone.” since I’m so youthful at heart, I appear younger. But he’s so youthful and almost 5 years older than I am. He has an incredible spirit. He simply exclaims, “Let’s go, go, go!” I think, “That’s me!” He’s like that too, and I feel like I’m 22. Both of us are furious! Out of those 16 personality kinds, we even share the exact same type. It’s been really enjoyable.
Even from their prior partnerships, the two have children that are rather young. Turner, Anderson’s daughter, is 23 years old, and Sofia, Brittingham’s daughter, is 25. Alex, 21, Olivia, 23, and 16-year-old Isabella.
According to Brittingham, “Olivia and Turner are exactly 1 month apart.” “They have pals in common and everything. It’s crazy!”
She and Anderson have each had prior marriages. According to Brittingham, she announced her divorce from her second spouse Eduardo after 12 years of marriage in May 2021. He was married for 20 years and was divorced 8 years ago. Last month, the divorce was legally finalized.
Brittingham tells PEOPLE that she and Anderson are considering getting married next summer, possibly in Italy.
“We got engaged in Tuscany, and he took me on an engagement honeymoon to Lake Como, which I had no idea existed. It was really wonderful. Italy has thus undoubtedly been the top contender.
In the interim, Brittingham will continue “floating on cloud 9.”
“I’m the happiest girl in the world,” she exclaims. Dating at this age is difficult, I know. After dating for two years, I realized that I actually don’t want to be single. When my ex and I initially got divorced, I believed I wanted to be single and was happy about it. I missed cuddling with that person and telling them “I love you” repeatedly throughout the day. And as soon as I recognized it, Mark and I met.
It truly feels as though I have discovered a needle in a haystack. If I could have written down everything I was seeking for in a partner, it would have been him, gushes Brittingham. “I’m deeply in love and simply very appreciative. He frequently exclaims, “Oh my god, how did I get so lucky?” to me. I then ask yourself, “How did I get so lucky?” We both have a lot of luck. It’s incredibly tasty.
