One Piece actor Anton Jeftha found love in the digital age with sweetheart Tegan Goldman.

THE MEETING

Anton: We met in the DMs [direct messages] during the Covid-19 lockdown. We hadn’t met each other yet, but we started talking on Instagram — it took us about a year to finally go out on a date. I was the one who slid in.

Tegan: I’m from Gqeberha and had recently moved to Cape Town. Anton came back from Los Angeles to Cape Town. Before we could meet, he had got a role to act in Legacy and had to move to Joburg. So, we didn’t get an opportunity to meet until later in the year [December 2020].

We went on a few dates, but he had to move to Joburg permanently to continue on the show. Due to the distance, we didn’t get to see each other for many years, until he moved back to Cape Town in mid-2023. We didn’t really keep in touch. We’d just send each other birthday and Merry Christmas messages.

THE ATTRACTION

Tegan: I thought Anton was a Brazilian model [laughs], but he turned out to be from around here, which left me impressed. I thought he was a very attractive man, but when we got to know each other, I realised what a family guy he was and being a family person myself, our connection grew even more.

Anton: The same goes for me, too. I saw something that I liked when I first saw Tegan that left me intrigued, but once I got to know her, I was blown away by how much we had in common. Our families are somewhat identical, which is very strange, even though she grew up in the Eastern Cape and I grew up in Cape Town; our parents are so similar.

DATING LIFE

Tegan: In April 2023, we started taking our relationship more seriously because Anton had moved back to Cape Town. He’d message me to come over or meet up for coffee. I wasn’t keen. But I had a stack of books; he’d grab one, finish reading it within a day, and then take another book. This was his excuse to come back the following day just to see me.

Anton: We decided to keep our relationship low-key for a year. I wanted to protect Tegan because I know how brutal my world can get. I wanted us to enjoy ourselves before we shared our love with the world in 2024. We’re not particularly camping people, but we enjoy doing outdoorsy things. We’d join our family on their camps, hikes, and trips. Our favourite thing was going to the gym together.

THE PROPOSAL

Anton: I was planning it in the background for some time, from the beginning of 2024. I started designing a ring with a jeweller in Cape Town. I decided on a design that I thought she’d like, which took from February through 27 December 2024, when I proposed.

We visited her family for Christmas. I put the ring in the safe as soon as we got to our hotel. I had to wait for the most opportune moment to get her dad alone. He didn’t say “yes” immediately, as he wanted to chat to his wife. They then had a meeting with both of us, but they didn’t give the game away to Tegan on what I was about to do — they just wanted to pick both of our brains to check if she was happy with our relationship.

They finally said “yes” the night before we left. I then planned the proposal with her sister and family. When Tegan said her goodbyes to her family, she had tears in her eyes because she didn’t know when she’d see her parents again — little did she know I had planned for them to follow us at a safe distance behind our car.

I told Tegan we should go on a hike to the Tsitsikamma Bridge. There were a lot of tourists, which was frustrating because I didn’t want to make too much of a spectacle, but at the next incline, she turned around and found me on one knee.

THE WEDDING

Tegan: We were planning to get married this year on 27 February, with a 250-person guest list. We had decided on the décor and everything, but one day, both of us woke up and decided we needed to change our plan. We decided to do it sooner and have a smaller wedding. The initial plan was to have our wedding halfway between Cape Town and Gqeberha.

This was for both our families to travel and meet in between. We chose The Hawthorn Boutique Hotel with a 65-person guest list, which was intimate.

We tied the knot on 19 December 2025. My very special moment was when Anton surprised me by singing my favourite song by Teddy Swims, God Went Crazy. He showed me that he had recorded the song in studio for me, which was the highlight because I didn’t expect him to sing. His dad also sang for us when we entered the venue.

THE DRESS

Tegan: It didn’t take me long to find my dress. The first one I tried on, my two best friends were in tears, and I knew that was the one. I tried on others, but we all knew the first one was the one. I found it at Calegra Bridal House [Cape Town]. I asked them to make the lace choker, as it didn’t come with one.

THE SUIT

Anton: It was by Frank Bespoke, whom I’ve worked with many times before. I reached out to him and he was more than happy to fit me and do something simplistic for me. I want a classic black-and-white suit with a slim fit.