Things seem to be finally settling down for model Niki Taylor. After an abbreviated marriage, the birth of twin boys, a divorce, and a tragedy that nearly took her life, PEOPLE magazine is reporting that the gorgeous blond has just become engaged to NASCAR driver Burney Lamar.
The magazine reports that Lamar got down on bended knee last month to ask for Taylor’s hand in marriage while her parents watched. The news caught me by surprise considering I just read an article in PEOPLE a couple of months ago where the 31-year-old model said she wasn’t in a hurry to find love. Rather, she said she was concentrating her efforts on raising her 11-year-old twins, Jake and Hunter, from her three-year marriage to Arena Football League player Matt Martinez, which ended in 1996.
Taylor’s fiancé is a 26-year-old up-and-coming star on the NASCAR circuit. According to PEOPLE Lamar drives the No. 77 Dollar General Chevrolet in the NASCAR Busch Series.
Upon hearing about her engagement some speculated that marrying a racecar driver seemed like an odd choice for Taylor, who was involved in a near-fatal car accident in 2001. But according to friends, Taylor has always had a bit of a wild side, which she exercises by participating in activities such as riding her Harley-Davidson Road King.
“I’m not one to worry – what’s the point?” she told PEOPLE in July. “We are only here for a short amount of time. You have to live your life. I know that.”
In addition to planning for a wedding (no date has been announced), Taylor is juggling duties as a mom and the founder of a fashion and beauty empire – last year she launched the fragrance “Begin” by Niki Taylor and opened a Franklin, Tennessee, clothing boutique named Abbie & Jesse’s. She’s also working on a collection of spa goods and is looking to launch a denim line next year.