Bret Michaels surprised Kristi Gibson with proposal

Rocker Bret Michaels has opened up about his recent engagement to longtime love Kristi Gibson. The pair — who have dated on an off for 16 years — got engaged last month, just weeks before Bret underwent successful heart surgery.

“We’ve been on and off together for 16 years and I have to be honest with you, I think she was pretty surprised, because I’m one of those guys that believed in love but I’ve always shied away from the whole marriage thing,” Bret told US TV show Extra.

Michaels recently admitted starring in his own VH1 reality show has boosted his CD sales.

“TV has absolutely made my sales go up, made my tour guarantees go up,” he said.

“TV has been a great addition to my career. But the key thing is knowing what to walk away from. I advise anyone-especially musicians-to be very careful not to just grab anything they throw your way.”