HOLLYWOOD legend Arnold Schwarzenegger muscled in on a marriage proposal to persuade a Penryn man’s girlfriend to say yes in front of a live audience.

Arnie fan, Dean Goulding, 29, of Round Ring Gardens wanted to become engaged to his girlfriend of six and a half years, Jessica Eddy, before he flew out on a six month tour of duty with the Royal Navy.

To do this he enlisted the help of the Terminator legend when he and Jessica, 25, went along to the superstar’s live show in Leeds on Friday night.

While Dean and Jessica were watching the show, the actor asked if the couple were in the audience and invited them up.

Using all of his renowned diplomacy skills, he told Jessica: “What I want you to do is say yes to Dean,” while Dean had the ring out to propose.

Jessica said: “We had that moment between us and then Arnie asked us up on stage. We had that lovely moment for about ten seconds.”

Dean engineered the surprise by contacting the event organiser, and said he wasn’t sure that it would definitely go ahead until half an hour beforehand.

He said: “I was sat there with the ring burning a hole in my pocket.”

He didn’t know that he and Jessica would be asked up on stage, and said he was so surprised he handed his phone to event presenter Jonathan Ross, who took photos for the couple.

Jessica said: “He was so kind. They didn’t have to do that for us.

“All Dean wanted was for him to ask over the microphone, and then he asked us up on stage.”

Dean, a leading physical trainer in the Royal Navy, based at RNAS Culdrose, wanted to propose before he flew to Bahrain on Monday night for a six month posting.

He said: “They wanted me out in Bahrain on the twelfth, two days before the event, but I told them what was happening and the moved the flight for me.”

“I thought it would help keep Jessica busy, she can look at frocks while I’m away. I’ll probably come back to lots of bills.”

Jessica said the couple had received some online criticism because of the |way Dean seemed more interested in meeting his idol than in the woman |he had just proposed to, but that it |was important that they had enjoyed their moment together first.

“We got to be up onstage with one of the most amazing men ever, I think Dean was going to make the most of that.”

Dean added: “I’ve got 50 years to be with Jessica.”

Jessica continued: “He absolutely idolises the man, he never thought he’d get to meet him.

“It was more than special; the whole thing was a complete blur. The next morning I had to check what happened.”

Dean said lots of friends had been texting him, saying he had raised the bar for proposals.

Jessica said of her husband to be: “As a girl you want your proposal to be special. He is the nicest man, gracious and kind.”

She added: “I’ve always said to my friends and family that although I’d never, ever guess what he’d do for me |it would be something ridiculous and |I was right.

“Dean made me feel the most special I’ve ever felt. It was more than I ever expected from a proposal.”