French model Thylane Léna-Rose Loubry Blondeau, professionally known as Thylane Blondeau, announced her engagement to her longtime boyfriend, Ben Attal.
The two have been dating since 2020, shortly after Blondeau ended her former relationship with another French DJ, Milane Meritte.
Thylane, 24, is the daughter of former Premier League soccer player Patrick Blondeau and actress Veronika Loubry. Her fiancé, 28, is a Paris-based DJ. She was crowned the “most beautiful girl in the world” by Vogue Enfants in 2006.
Highlights
- Thylane Blondeau got engaged to DJ Ben Attal at a Michelin-rated venue on a trip to Greece.
- Blondeau’s engagement ring has a five-figure market value, according to a jewelry expert.
- The French model, who walked her first runway at four, faced intense scrutiny for a Vogue Paris photoshoot as a child.
She walked her first runway at four and posed for a Vogue Paris photoshoot at 10, which raised serious questions about the objectification of children in the modeling industry.
Thylane Blondeau got engaged while vacationing in Greece
Image credits: thylaneblondeau/Instagram
Blondeau announced her engagement on Instagram, sharing pictures with Attal and showing off the ring—a big diamond set in a simple gold band.
“I said yes to my best friend,” she captioned the post. “Here’s to forever.”
The proposal took place on Sunday, March 8, at the Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel in Athens, Greece, where the couple was vacationing last week. Situated on the Athens Riviera, it is a Michelin-rated establishment with stunning views of the Aegean Sea.
Image credits: thylaneblondeau/Instagram
According to the Daily Mail, the venue costs £600 ($806) per night.
Among Blondeau’s shared photos was a picture of the romantic outdoor setting where the engagement took place. The couple enjoyed a meal at a table for two under the open sky, overlooking the sea. A trail of red rose petals was scattered along the path.
Image credits: thylaneblondeau/Instagram
“Life has thrown me through some storms lately, but today, seeing you get engaged to the most wonderful son-in-law, I feel like a little ray of sunshine is finally breaking through the clouds,” Thylane’s mother wrote under her Instagram post. “Congratulations to you both, my loves.”
The pair has since flown back from Greece, according to Blondeau’s Instagram story, which said: “Goodbye Athens, I’ll miss you.”
Thylane Blondeau’s career sparked debate over young girls' place in the modeling industry
Blondeau began modeling at the age of four, walking for French designer Jean Paul Gaultier and later for famous designers like Dolce & Gabbana and L'Oréal.
Vogue Enfants labeling her the “most beautiful girl in the world” caused her fame to skyrocket at the age of six.
At 10, she became the youngest ever model to pose for Vogue Paris.
Image credits: thylaneblondeau/Instagram
The photoshoot drew criticism in the media, with many questioning the appropriateness of dressing, modeling, and photographing children in adult looks and expressions.
On the Vogue Paris cover, she was featured in a body-hugging red dress, high heels, and red lipstick, lying on a tiger-skin rug.
Image credits: thylaneblondeau/Instagram
Her mother, Veronika Loubry, defended the cover.
“The only thing that shocks me about the photo is the necklace that she's wearing, which is worth €3 million ($4.3 million at the time),” she said to a French newspaper, according to an ABC News report dated August 9, 2011.
Ben Attal proposed to Thylane Blondeau with a $45,000 diamond ring
Image credits: thylaneblondeau/Instagram
Celebrity jeweler and gemologist Benjamin Khordipour, of New York City-based Estate Diamond Jewelry, shared his expert opinion on Blondeau’s engagement ring with the Daily Mail.
He described the ring as being of “approximately two carats, cut in an oval shape with an excellent cut quality.”
Image credits: thylaneblondeau/Instagram
“Based on the photos, I would estimate the diamond to be around E color and VVS1 clarity,” he said.
“The design is very modern and minimalist, featuring a simple 18K yellow gold four-prong setting. The elegance of the ring comes from its simplicity, which draws the viewer’s attention entirely to the center diamond.”
Image credits: thylaneblondeau/Instagram
“I estimate the value of the ring to be around $45,000,” he added.
He further pointed out that Blondeau was the latest among several celebrities whose engagement rings were oval-shaped—a minimalist style that echoes the late 1800s when it was fashionable to show off the beauty of a single diamond solitaire.
Thylane Blondeau suffered from delayed diagnosis of ovarian cysts
In October 2021, Blondeau shared her long-drawn-out struggle with ovarian cysts and detailed the surgery she underwent for it.
“A year ago, I had an emergency operation for an ovarian cyst that had exploded in my stomach,” she wrote on Instagram. “Three months later, my belly started to hurt again and, at the beginning, everyone (and I, of course) thought it was because of the operation.”
Image credits: thylaneblondeau/Instagram
“This year, I saw three different gynecologists; I’ve seen more than four radiology centers in Paris, and all of them said the same thing: ‘Don’t worry, you have nothing. It’s all in your head.’”
She revealed that she had to go to the emergency room because of the pain, but was still sent home with no specific diagnosis.
Image credits: thylaneblondeau/Instagram
“The day after this, I had this appointment with an amazing doctor (O. Kadoch) who directly saw that I had a cyst of 5-6 cm that was touching my ovary, so he sent me to do an IRM and an hour after this, the doctor called me and ask me to go straight to the hospital to do an emergency operation.
“Today I’m finally feeling better, I’m finally feeling free. I really thought I was crazy for complaining about my stomach for so long. Happy that I never gave up.”
"The perfect couple": Netizens congratulated Thylane Blondeau and Ben Attal on their engagement
