TV Skating Star Gets Engaged on a Frozen Lake in Banff

What’s Happening? A winter proposal at Vermilion Lakes has drawn international attention after it emerged that the woman getting engaged on the ice is a well-known professional figure skater from British television, as first reported by Metro.

Why This One Traveled Far. The woman is Vanessa Bauer, a longtime professional on the show Dancing On Ice, where she has become one of the program’s most recognizable skaters. While the engagement itself was quiet and personal, photos shared afterward quickly circulated among fans and entertainment outlets overseas.

In other words: a very Banff moment, seen by a very non-Banff audience.

The Banff Backdrop. The proposal took place on the frozen surface of Vermilion Lakes, with the couple skating as the sun dropped behind the mountains. The timing was almost too perfect. After a snowstorm earlier in the day, the clouds cleared just long enough to deliver what Bauer later described as the only sunset they saw during a six-week stay in the Canadian Rockies.

No crowds. No setup. Just natural ice, skates, and one of Banff’s most recognizable winter views.

Why the Location Mattered. For Bauer, the setting was especially meaningful. She has said skating on frozen alpine lakes had been a lifelong dream, making Vermilion Lakes an ideal place for a proposal that leaned into her life on the ice rather than away from it.

Her partner reportedly learned to skate in recent months specifically so he could propose this way, a detail that resonated with fans once the story became public.

A Familiar Scene for Locals. For Banff residents, the photos will feel instantly recognizable: flat ice, still air, and that brief winter glow that hits Vermilion Lakes just before dark. For everyone else, it looks like something out of a postcard.

The Bigger Picture. The couple has said they are not planning a long engagement and may opt for a warmer wedding destination. Still, their engagement story now has a very specific starting point, one rooted in Banff’s winter landscape.