That’s hard to imagine as Woman’s Day catches up with the blissfully happy, newly engaged couple, but their enduring love story didn’t start as you’d expect. In fact, the pair met while they accompanied friends on a first date.
“I was definitely surprised to be meeting the Marty Banks,” laughs Prendiville, 28, thinking back to the night when she first laid eyes on Southland rugby star in an Auckland bar in 2018.
“It really was just fate. Both of our friends didn’t want to go by themselves to the date, so they convinced us to come along. But from the moment we first spoke, Marty caught my attention with some flirtatious banter.”
Michelle Prendiville received an Instagram request from Marty Banks, who had mustered up the courage to ask her on a date. Photo / Joe Allison, Allison Images
A few days later, Prendiville received an Instagram request from Banks, 34, who had mustered up the courage to ask her on a date of their own.
“I was nervous and excited,” she recalls. “There was just something about him I really liked. I knew I wanted to know more, so we met up for a drink before Marty had to leave for his next rugby contract in Japan.”
And despite the fact Prendiville was almost an hour late - Banks jokes, “It was the beers and beef sliders that kept me there!” - the pair went on to have a great night.
“His flirting was much better,” Prendiville grins. “By the end of it, I knew there was a spark.”
The couple spent three years in a long-distance relationship. Photo / Joe Allison, Allison Images
The couple kept messaging while Banks was playing in Japan and Prendiville embarked on her journalism career in Auckland, as well as representing Midlands in the National Hockey League. Eventually, they realised they’d fallen for each other and decided to become official in November 2018.
“And then it was three years of long distance, which was really tough, but somehow we managed to make it work,” Prendiville says. “Then when Marty did come back, he moved down to the South Island for his next contract, so I put a proposal to TVNZ for a sports reporter based in Dunedin. They were keen for more sports coverage from the lower South Island, so it was accepted. We finally got to live in the same place in 2021.”
Life has been blissful ever since, with Banks continuing to play rugby for the Highlanders and Southland, and Prendiville continuing her dream job in sports journalism. But Banks realised towards the end of last year that it was time to pop the question.
“I was under a fair bit of pressure,” he laughs. “Michelle was dropping subtle hints, but I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. I’m a pretty happy-go-lucky guy, so I wasn’t sure how to do it. I was getting advice from mates.”
But first, Banks came up with an elaborate way to ask her dad Steve for permission to marry his daughter.
Marty Banks came up with an elaborate way to ask Michelle Prendiville's dad Steve for permission to wed his daughter. Photo / Joe Allison, Allison Images
“I asked Speights to create a few beer labels that read, ‘Steve, can I have your blessing?’ on the bottle, which was really cool,” he says. “It took a few goes to get him to look closely at the bottles, but at last he clicked to what they said. He was stoked.”
Smiling, Prendiville adds: “My dad loves rugby and beer, so he was really excited.”
Then, finally, it was time for the most important question of all. Unknown to Prendiville, Banks had organised his photographer friend Joe to ask on Instagram for a couple to take part in a paid tourism photoshoot. After being inundated with offers - but none from a certain TVNZ reporter, unfortunately - Joe messaged Prendiville directly to ask if she and Banks would do it.
Banks laughs: “I told her, ‘I can’t be bothered.’ But it was the perfect set-up. That’s why the photos are so nice and we’re not dressed like scruffs.”
Prendiville says: “I couldn’t believe he didn’t want to do it - it was $500 cash.”
But eventually, on the stunning clifftop setting, with their local beach behind them and the sun just coming up, with a few hundred fake photos already snapped, photographer Joe gave Banks the signal to drop a knee - which he did, almost falling off the cliff in the process.
Marty Banks and Michelle Prendiville got engaged in a romantic clifftop setting. Photo / Joe Allison, Allison Images
“It was steep!” he laughs. “That’s why my shoes are dirty in the photos.”
As for Prendiville, she says she was shocked when she saw the gorgeous diamond ring and realised what was happening.
“It vaguely crossed my mind when we rocked up, but then I thought there was no way Marty had organised this. It was the craziest thing. I’ve never seen him so vulnerable or happy.
“It was the cutest, cheesiest moment and I love it. Marty wears his heart on his sleeve. I love that about him - and how humble he is. He and I are best friends. We have the best time and, yes, there’s a lot of banter. What people don’t realise about Marty is that he’s a real softie. I feel lucky that I’m the one who gets to see that.”
He explains: “No one ever stuck around and put up with me like she did. She made it last. We had a little period there when I was overseas and it was tough. It could have gone either way, really. But Michelle got us through a lot of that. She’s got a heart of gold. She makes me the happiest I’ve ever been - and she’s even started playing golf.”
He says: “She did a story with Woman’s Day about it and it was a really big deal at the time, but she’s never let it define her. It was a pretty cool thing for her to do and it was amazing seeing her do that. When I first found out she had alopecia, I didn’t know what to say, really. I was more worried about myself going bald.”
Laughing, he continues: “Finding out she was bald? I mean, I didn’t care. She’s won the race there. Hopefully, I can hold on to mine.”
Now the couple are turning their attention to planning the wedding and first up is trying to find a location.
While Banks has suggested Nelson’s Trafalgar Park - the home of the Tasman Mako and “a great bit of grass” - this idea has been firmly vetoed by Prendiville.
