Jesse James, Kat Von D announce engagement

Jesse James and Kat Von D have announced that they are engaged.

The couple, who began dating last year following a friendship, confirmed that they are planning to marry in an interview with People magazine today.

They had spoken about their love for each other earlier this month, when James described Von D as his "other half" in a Twitter posting. "Baby, you make it so easy to do everything to show you how amazing you are," he wrote. "I see it clear as a bell. My other half."

The pair were first linked back in August following James's separation from ex-wife Sandra Bullock, although initially denied the speculation.

They later made their first public appearance as a couple the following September at an opening for Von D's Wonderland Gallery in West Hollywood, and later described their romance as "spontaneous" and "not planned".

No further details about the wedding have been revealed.