Reba McEntire is dishing on her engagement!

The 70-year-old country music superstar and her beau of five years, Rex Linn , were revealed to be engaged back in September, but they actually got engaged nearly a year prior.

“We got engaged December the 24th, Christmas Eve at Leiper’s Fork [in Tennessee],” she told People . “So we got engaged then, we were going to make the announcement when we got back to L.A. in January, and the fires happened. It wasn’t appropriate.”

She added that “the time never presented itself until the Emmys when it just happened.”

Reba dished that the proposal was a “total surprise” on “ Rex Linn timing,” but adds it was “very romantic.”

While they’ve been enjoying their engagement, there’s no rush to get married.

“I totally was thrilled to deat

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