Jesse James and Kat Von D Engaged
Couple began dating after James' marriage to Sandra Bullock fell apart.
Jan. 20, 2011— -- A year after his marriage to Sandra Bullock collapsed, Jesse James is engaged to celebrity tattoo artist Kat Von D.
James told People magazine that 2010 -- the same year his marriage to Bullock fell apart amid stories of his infidelity -- was "actually the best year of my life because I fell in love with my best friend, an amazing woman who stood behind me when the world turned their backs."
"I have never met anyone so kind and loving and committed to making the world a better place every day," he said about Von D. "My love for her is beyond description. So honored that she said 'yes.' Growing old with her is going to be a f----n' blast!"
"There is no one else for me. He's the one," Von D, 28, the star of reality show "LA Ink," told People.
The couple began quietly dating last summer soon after James' divorce from Bullock was finalized in June.
Neither Bullock's nor James' rep responded immediately to requests for comment.
Von D, whose full name is Katherine Von Drachenberg, bears more than a passing resemblance to James' previous women. Covered in tattoos, Von D looks more like James' second ex-wife, porn star Janine Lindemulder, and Michelle "Bombshell" McGee, the woman who brought down his marriage to Bullock, than she does to girl-next-door Bullock.
Last August, Von D tweeted -- then deleted -- that she was seeing the 41-year-old motorcyle mogul.
"Yes, Jesse and I are dating," she wrote before taking down the post, but not before the message had spread throughout the blogosphere.
