Nicole Slater said ‘no’ to Billy when he first proposed

When Billy Slater and his wife of almost 15 years Nicole Slater (née Rose) started dating 20 years ago, Billy wasn’t looking for his one great love. It just happened.
“When that person walks into your life, it sort of smacks you in the face,” the rugby league legend and co-creator of fitness program Move with Billy Slater tells 9honey.
Billy and Nicole had actually known each other since their adolescence, first meeting at a “pony club” when they were around 13 or 14.
Watch the video above.
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According to the now 41-year-old Billy, it was a “great time in [his] life” – the duo were friends, bonding over riding horses and show jumping.
It wasn’t until almost a decade later when Billy made the first romantic move.
Billy, then aged around 20, had been newly drafted to Melbourne Storm, and returned to his native Queensland for some time.
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It was then he decided to get back in touch with Nicole, and the rest is history.
Billy knew something was there instantly.
Although Nicole is an artist by trade, and Billy is a footballer, their shared passions and interests – such as their love of horses – have never failed to bring them together.
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“When you love someone, it feels right. I suppose it always has and always will,” Billy tells 9honey.
Billy is not afraid to gush about his wife, saying she is the “most caring person” he knows, and she would do anything for him or their young family – though she did actually say no when he first proposed.
He popped the question when Nicole was “heavily pregnant” with their first child, 15-year-old daughter Tyla Rose.
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“She was making [the proposal] really difficult to be honest,” he laughs.
Billy, who was still playing with Melbourne Storm at the time, took Nicole out to dinner in St Kilda, but it was no easy feat – she really didn’t want to go, and after some convincing, he managed to get her there.
After dinner, he suggested that they go and sit on the water and get some ice cream, even though she really was not keen. It was winter in Melbourne, and “freezing cold.”
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Billy said he “looked like an a–hole” when he denied Nicole’s request to borrow his jacket on their after-dinner adventure, but inside, he was nervous.
Unbeknownst to Nicole, Billy was hiding her engagement ring in his jacket, ready to pop the question.
Though every time he tried to get down on one knee and ask her, there was some kind of distraction – a kid on a skateboard would fly past, or someone would be walking nearby.
After an hour and a half of waiting in the freezing cold for the perfect time, he finally asked her.
But, according to Billy, the first words out of her mouth were, “No, no…”
“What do you mean ‘No’?!” Billy asked her, to which she quickly replied, “Oh my god, no, yes, yes!”
The duo finally tied the knot in Cairns in November 2009.
Since retiring from the NRL in 2018, Billy has held a leadership role in the AFL St Kilda team, as well as a commentary role with Nine.
He also notably coaches the Queensland Maroons, leading them to victory in the 2022 and 2023 State of Origin series.
Video by Nathan Chapman and edits by Tara Blancato.
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