EXCLUSIVE: AnnaLynne McCord Is Engaged to Danny Cipriani! All the Details of the Christmas Proposal and 15-Carat Diamond Ring…..

The 90210 alum, 38, is engaged to Danny Cipriani. AnnaLynne exclusively reveals to PEOPLE that the former rugby player, 38, proposed nearly four months ago at her Los Angeles home on Christmas Day, when they were surrounded by loved ones.

“I cried for 10 minutes straight,” AnnaLynne recalls. “At some point, I realized I had to answer. I said, ‘Yes, but I can’t even speak,’ and he replied, ‘That’s okay, it’s actually a good sign that you are quiet for once.’ Then, we’re all laughing.

“Marriage had been on both Annalynne and Cipriani’s minds for a while. Unbeknownst to either of them, they separately bought each other promise rings as a symbol of their commitment over Thanksgiving in Arizona.

At the time, Annalynne considered popping the question herself, but she decided not to after telling her sisters, Rachel McCord and Angel McCord, and Cipriani.

“It occurred to me that I should just propose to him and I told my sisters. Both really questioned this choice, and they strongly discouraged it,” Annalynne says.

“I decided to tell him that was my plan, but then the look on his face convinced me not to, and he fessed up and told me he had plans to propose