Demi-Leigh Tebow Admits She'd ‘Never Heard of’ Husband Tim Tebow Before They Met: ‘I Watch Rugby’ (Exclusive)

Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE, the model confesses she was initially mispronouncing the former NFL star's name

Before Demi-Leigh Tebow met her now-husband, Tim Tebow, the former Miss Universe had never heard of the beloved football player.

The couple, who have been married since 2020, met in 2018 at the annual Night to Shine event, a worldwide prom for people with special needs. Tim's foundation is a supporter of the cause, and Demi-Leigh got involved because of her late sister, Franje, who was diagnosed with a rare condition that caused a neurological development delay.

Demi-Leigh, 28, recalls meeting Tim, 36, at the "first" Night to Shine event hosted in her come country of South Africa. "I always joke and say that he invited my sister to the prom and not me, but that's kind of what really drew me to him," Demi-Leigh tells PEOPLE.

"I really hadn't heard of him before," she confesses, adding that she had even been mispronouncing his name at first. "I thought his name was Tim Tib-oh," she laughs. "I had never heard of Tim Tib-oh in my life!"

Tim credits Franje for bringing him and Demi-Leigh together. "That's how we got first introduced, and that first conversation was two hours, 24 minutes and six seconds," he recalls of their interaction at Night to Shine, without missing a beat. "And there hasn't been a day since we haven't spoken."

Related: Tim Tebow Says He and Wife Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters Will 'Absolutely' Have Children Together

"My sister passed away in 2019, but Tim got to meet her, thankfully. She was our little matchmaker," Demi-Leigh shares.

Now, as the couple prepares for the holiday season together, Demi-Leigh tells PEOPLE about a thoughtful gift she received from her husband on the anniversary of her sister's passing.

To honor Franje on the anniversary of her death, Tim found a thoughtful way to gift Demi-Leigh a sentimental reminder of her sister. "On her first heaven anniversary, Tim made me the sweetest necklace with her birthstone and her name engraved on it, and I can wear it as a necklace or a ring," she shares, adding that "it was really, really sweet."

Related: Tim Tebow Opens Up About Married Life: 'I've Had So Many Opportunities to Learn and to Grow'

Demi-Leigh also considers the couple's three dogs to be her favorite gifts. "They're the best gifts I didn't know I needed," she says.

This holiday season, the couple has partnered with Price.com to help fans tackle all of their holiday gifting needs — even for fuzzy friends!

Tim befriended the company's CEO and founder, RJ Jain, through a mutual friend from his alma mater, the University of Florida.

Personal connection aside, Demi-Leigh says "the one thing that really drew me so much closer" to working with the company was the tangible benefits for consumers. "It helps you make your money matter," she says, explaining that Price.com offers users a convenient opportunity to use cashback points they've accumulated to donate to a selection of 200,000 charities and organizations.

Tim says he wanted to bring more eyes to the retail landscaper to "make it easy for the user to be able to save money, but also make that money matter without worrying about vetting a charity." He explains, "Sometimes, we think we want to make a difference, but where do we go, where do we look? And this gives you 200,000 options of already vetted, looked-through nonprofits."

CEO Jain tells PEOPLE, "We look for the vetted charities and that's been the focus for us and we are really excited to partner with the Tim Tebow Foundation." And now, fans can shop Tim and Demi-Leigh's picks from their favorite retailers exclusively on Price.com.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Demi-Leigh, meanwhile, explains that she wasn't aware of her husband's celebrity because she grew up in South Africa, where "we watch rugby, not football." She says, "Ask me anything about rugby, but don't ask me a single thing about football."

Related: Tim Tebow and Demi-Leigh Tebow's Relationship Timeline

Even after tying the knot with the former NFL (and MLB) star, it's unlikely to find Demi-Leigh watching any football games. "That's a true story. Don't ask her about football," Tim agrees with a laugh.

"I know the right colors to wear, and I know how to say go Gators," Demi-Leigh adds.

On that note, Demi-Leigh says she hasn't been among the new additions to NFL viewership amid the frenzy around Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's romance.

"I'm pretty sure she'd be more inclined if Swifty is promised to be there," Tim says. "But she'd be like, 'Oh wow, look, Swifty.' and I'll be like, 'No, it's a football game.' "

Poking fun at the viral troll women were pulling on their NFL fan partners, Demi-Leigh interjects, "Well, she did put football on the map. And her concert was great."

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.