Country singer Charles Esten took a gamble with a sweet gift for his wife over 30 years ago.
The “Outer Banks” actor, 58, shared on X – formerly known as Twitter – that when he graduated from college in 1988 and moved to Los Angeles, after three months he was “already out of money.”
“I’d been in L.A. for 3 months and I was already out of money when I found an ad looking for contestants for SALE OF THE CENTURY,” Charles wrote, alongside a video clip of himself on the game show over three decades ago.
Charles Esten revealed he won his wife’s engagement ring on a game show over 30 years ago. (Getty Images)
He added, “Long story short: I got on, and 5 days later walked away with $34K in cash and prizes that included the engagement ring that my wife wears on her finger today. None of that happens without this lucky speed round!”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Esten said that the ring he won was “actually more of an anniversary ring than an engagement ring, but, when I gave it to Patty and told her we could exchange it if she wanted, she said ‘absolutely not. This is the lucky ring! This is the one I’ll wear.’”
The statement added, “And just to bring it all full circle, a couple years back on our 25th anniversary, I took her to the jewelry store and bought her… an engagement ring.”
In the video clip, the “Nashville” star was competing under the name Chip and won the trivia question round and got the final answer right. The young Charles won the game by three points.
“Time is up and Chip has won it by 3. Wow,” the announcer said in the video. “A great comeback for the champion.”
Charles and his now-wife, Patty Hanson, were college sweethearts at William and Mary College in Williamsburg, Virginia. The couple wed in 1991 and share three children: Taylor, Chase and Addie.
In 2023, Esten told Country Now that he was blown away by Patty’s beauty from the moment he saw her.
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“I knew I had seen her freshman year, just the most gorgeous girl I’d ever seen. She was frequently riding by on a moped,” Charles told the outlet at the time.
Charles Esten and wife Patty were college sweethearts. They wed in 1991. (Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)
He added, “She had come from Italy, although she’s a blonde and her maiden name Hanson, but her mother was from Naples. She was actually born in Naples and raised in the States, but went back there for high school. So I would hear this moped arriving by, and that would make my head spin.”
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Charles and Patty currently reside in Nashville, Tennessee. Last month, the actor released his debut solo country album, “Love Ain’t Pretty.”
Charles Esten’s debut country album, “Love Ain’t Pretty,” was released in January. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
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When Esten announced his album on Instagram in January, he thanked his wife, “who not only provided inspiration but countless hours of hard work.”
