A director stunned the audience at the Emmys when he proposed to his girlfriend while accepting an award on stage.

Glenn Weiss won the outstanding directing for a variety special for The Oscars in Los Angeles.

During an emotional acceptance speech, Weiss revealed his mother had died two weeks previously, before saying he loved his girlfriend, Jan Svendsen.

Weiss added: “You wonder why I don’t like to call you my girlfriend? Because I want to call you my wife.”

The room erupted into cheers, before Weiss said: “I didn’t ask yet!”

2018 Primetime Emmy Awards – Show
Glenn Weiss proposes to Jan Svendsen (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

After Svendsen made it to the stage, he told her: “This is the ring my dad put on my mom’s finger, 67 years ago. And to my sisters and brothers, I didn’t swipe it, dad knows I have it, OK?

“I want to put the ring that my mom wore on your finger in front of all these people and in front of my mom and your parents watching from above, will you marry me?”

She said yes.

The audience erupted into loud cheers and the camera panned on to crowd members wiping tears from their eyes.

The 70th Primetime Emmy Awards, co-hosted by Colin Jost and Michael Che, were handed out at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles.