Proposal wins cheers of Olympic Stadium crowd

Charity mascot Wendell Raphael was shown onto a stage, his face beamed onto a big screen, after participating in a parade around the ground.

Thanking his girlfriend for her support of his charity work, Mr Raphael, 40, dressed as a super hero, then said: “This is not an April Fool. Bindi Bhambra, will you marry me?”

She was shown in tears watching from her seat and, to applause from the crowds, nodded her head to say “yes” as the words “She said yes!” flashed onto the screens.

Mr Raphael, known as Raph, said: “When it was confirmed I’d be taking part in the parade two weeks ago, I knew I wanted to propose in front of all these people here today.”

He met his fiancée, a 35-year-old teacher from Bristol, on a dating website six months ago.

Mr Raphael, an IT worker originally from Port of Spain, Trinidad, and now living in New Cross, London, also took part in a race at the new stadium during yesterday’s Gold Challenge charity test event.

He acts as mascot Super Donor Dan – wearing a red outfit and matching cape – for the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust to raise awareness of blood and bone marrow donation, and donated a kidney to a friend in 2007.

Asked when the wedding might be, he said with a smile: “I want her surname to be Raphael as soon as possible.”