Jamie Lomas is engaged.

Jamie Lomas popped the question to his longtime girlfriend Jess Bell

Jamie Lomas popped the question to his longtime girlfriend Jess Bell

The ‘Hollyoaks’ star - who plays villain Warren Fox in the Channel 4 soap -had been “planning” to pop the question to his long-time girlfriend, Jess Bell, 34, but still managed to maintain an element of surprise while they were on holiday in Mexico.

The 48-year-old actor told OK! magazine: “I had been planning it for a while and I wanted it to be perfect.

“We’d been in Lake Como a few weeks earlier, but we both adore Mexico, and I thought, ‘Where better than in our favourite restaurant in our favourite resort in our favourite country?’”

Jamie admitted to pretending to create a decoy for his celebrations by suggesting it was his birthday so Jess had no “clue” what was happening.

He said: “I suggested we should tell the restaurant it was my birthday – that way they might come out with sparklers, champagne and stuff and make a fuss.

“It was the perfect distraction because that’s just what happened and it meant Jess didn’t have a clue what was going on,” he recalls with a mischievous grin.

“Of course, all the restaurant staff were in on the surprise. So they emerged with a cake, singing and clapping with Jess sitting there thinking it was all going well and all about me and my supposed birthday.

“And then they changed the music that was playing to ‘Marry You’ by Bruno Mars.”

Jess confessed the moment was “so wonderful”, and thinking about it got her all teary.

She said: “Before I knew it there was this ring there, and everyone was clapping and cheering. It was amazing, so wonderful, and so very emotional.

“I wasn’t expecting it at all. It was a total shock. We managed to get a video of the whole proposal, too. It’s lovely to re-watch and remember. It still makes me cry!”

The ex 'I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here' star - who has 12-year-old daughter Polly with his ex Kym Marsh - quipped he was “just glad to get it over and done with” as he detailed how he got a jeweller pal to help to getting the right sparkler.

He said: “I knew what she had in mind in terms of shape, which is just as well otherwise I might have just nipped and bought something from Argos!”