“I never felt like I had the acceptance to ever get married,” the Disney Channel alum said
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Raven-Symoné is looking back on the experience of proposing to her wife.
During a recent appearance on The Unplanned Podcast, hosted by married couple Matt and Abby Howard, the Disney Channel alum, 38, and her wife, Miranda Pearman-Maday, recalled the day they got engaged — and Raven-Symoné’s unusual reaction.
“Raven stands before me and she looks at me and she goes, ‘I’m not gonna kneel because I’m in Gucci,’ ” Pearman-Maday, 37, said. “And I was like, ‘What?’ “
She went on to say that her now-wife told her something along the lines of, “I think that you’re pretty great, and I think that we should get married and just like, do this. Are you in or are you out?”
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The former personal assistant recalled accepting the proposal before glancing down at the ring. However, when she looked back up, Raven-Symoné had left and was “running across this two-car highway.”
“I look at her, and I’m like, did I just get proposed to?” Pearman-Maday said.
The That’s So Raven alum defended her actions, saying, “When you’re in the industry, not a lot of normal human behaviors feel like they match your life. I never felt like I had the acceptance to ever get married. I thought my life was going to be work. I knew how to act before I knew how to walk, so I knew how to work before I knew how to love in that kind of sense.”
Raven-Symoné explained that she felt overwhelmed and was experiencing a “full-on panic attack” during the sweet moment.
“I dissociate and I think that I’m, like, not alive. So I’m like, let me run across the street. Because if this is real, everything’s going to be okay,” she explained.
Raven-Symoné and Pearman-Maday first met at a bar in 2015 and kept their relationship under wraps until they tied the knot in June 2020. They had an intimate wedding ceremony in Los Angeles.
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The pair spoke to PEOPLE in June 2020 about their feelings after getting married. At the time, Raven-Symoné said, “Miranda makes me feel confident and empowered in an entirely new way. We planned our ceremony together, and it was a true reflection of our love and partnership.”
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In April 2022, Raven-Symoné opened up to PEOPLE about her belief in therapy and shared how Pearman-Maday has helped her break down some of the protective barriers she put up during her childhood.
“Me getting married to Miranda has helped a lot,” she said at the time. “The people who are now on my team have really set a foundation that makes me feel comfortable enough because I know that somebody has my back.”
Last August, the actress celebrated Pearman-Maday’s 36th birthday by throwing her a surprise party. She shared highlights from the bash on Instagram as she wrote a touching tribute to her wife: “To @mirandamaday #happybirthday to my wife, lover, partner, and friend. Thank you for being empathetic, driven, and magical. You are loved by me and so many.”
