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Man proposes to high school sweetheart after rekindling their romance

<p dir="ltr">Over 60 years ago, Thomas and Nancy met when they were in high school and fell in love. </p> <p dir="ltr">Despite their feelings for each other, their romance didn’t last and they fell out of touch as life moved on. </p> <p dir="ltr">Sixty years on, Thomas and Nancy rekindled their relationship and spent three weeks having phone conversations to discover their affection for each other never died. </p> <p dir="ltr">Nancy then decided to fly to Thomas’ home state of Florida for an emotional reunion, and was shocked by the surprise she arrived at. </p> <p dir="ltr">Walking off the plane in the city of Tampa, Nancy was greeted by Thomas on one knee, delivering an emotional speech about how much he loves her, before he asked her to marry him. </p> <p dir="ltr">The heart-felt moment, captured by a fellow traveller and posted to TikTok, shows Thomas dressed up in a suit, waiting nervously for Nancy to arrive with a big smile on his face.</p> <p dir="ltr">Upon seeing her, he handed her a bouquet of roses and gave her a tender kiss before he pulled out his ring and started professing his love. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CuQIG3Mr0GA/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CuQIG3Mr0GA/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by PerezHilton.com (@perezhilton)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“My dear Nancy, it's been 60 years since we first met, 56 years since we first dated, 10 years since I last saw you, and 20 days since we began this,” he said, his voice shaky with emotion. </p> <p dir="ltr">“You have always been the one I've had a crush on, since your cheerleader days.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“It brings a smile to my face, it makes my heart skip a beat [to see you]. For the last three weeks, I have thought of you every day, every hour and have talked to you every night for hours.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I have longed to see you again, hold you in my arms, and tell you how much you mean to me.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“So Nancy, I come to you humbly today, June 30, with a proposal. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and cherish every moment we will have together.” </p> <p dir="ltr">“I love you more than words can express, more than you can ever comprehend. I want to spend the rest of my life proving that to you and making you the happiest woman in the world.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Will you Nancy, give me the honour of being my soulmate in life? My partner in every sense of the word, my beloved wife forever? Will you marry me?”</p> <p dir="ltr">Nancy, who had started to cry while Thomas was talking, quickly said yes to the proposal, which resulted in Thomas cheering and a group of strangers who had stopped to watch clapping for the couple before they embraced in a big hug. </p> <p dir="ltr">The TikTok creator also shared a snap of Thomas and Nancy posing together while holding up a sign that read, “She said yes!”</p> <p dir="ltr">The video has gained millions of views, and it sparked a slew of comments from people who said they were “sobbing” over Nancy and Thomas' love story.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They were meant to be, nor time or distance tore them apart,” one person wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">Another said, “When two souls are meant to be, they will find each other.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: TikTok</em></p>

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Princess Diana’s niece marries longtime sweetheart

<p>In a stunning mountain-top ceremony, Princess Diana’s niece Lady Amelia Spencer has married her longtime love, Greg Mallett. </p> <p>The couple, who have been dating since they were teenagers and engaged since 2020, teased that the big day was coming with a post to social media captioned “Not long now”. And while they have yet to share any pictures from their big day, Earl Charles Spencer’s daughter opened up to <em>HELLO! </em>about what it meant to tie the knot in a place so dear to their hearts. </p> <p>"It means so much to get married here," she said of their Cape Town location. "Growing up here together for the last 14 years, all of mine and Greg’s happiest times as a couple are here. It’s even more special now."</p> <p>“I’ve been dreaming of watching Amelia walk down the aisle for 14 years,” Greg added. </p> <p>The pair met - and got engaged - in South Africa, and it was in 2021 that Amelia and Greg decided to relocate to the United Kingdom. </p> <p>Amelia has previously stated to <em>HELLO! </em>that the proposal marked the “most romantic” day of her life. And as Greg explained, "I had one big pink box, inside which I put in eight smaller boxes, decreasing in size.</p> <p>"In each box was a photograph of a 'first time'. The final box contained a note instead of a picture, that said: 'But most importantly, I know that you will remember tonight as the night that I proposed.' As Amelia was reading the note, I dropped to one knee with the ring."</p> <p>Amelia’s sisters - twin Eliza and big sister Kitty - were in attendance at the wedding, as well as her younger brother, Samuel. </p> <p>However, according to reports, Amelia’s father - Princess Diana’s brother - was not there. This didn’t come as a huge surprise to some, as he’d also missed Lady Kitty’s wedding - a move that has reportedly created a divide between the Earl and some of his children. </p> <p>As a source told <em>The Daily Mail</em>, “Kitty and Charles were very close when she was growing up, but their relationship has cooled and been more distant since his marriage to his third wife Karen in 2011.”</p> <p>That same source went on to explain that Charles had suffered an injury and that that was likely “the reason for him not travelling”, but it has yet to be revealed what his reasons were for missing out on Amelia’s ceremony as well. </p> <p>It also appears that neither William nor Harry celebrated alongside their cousin on her happy day. </p> <p>Still, fans and friends of the couple were more than happy to share their joy, writing their congratulations on Amelia’s teasing post.</p> <p>“Congratulations [to] you two on your nuptials. You are a beautiful couple,” wrote one. </p> <p>“Wow what a beautiful, happy, healthy, stunning couple,” declared another. “I wish you both all the happiness in the world.”</p> <p>While one announced for all of them, “Simply can’t wait.”</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

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High school sweethearts tie the knot after 70 years apart

<p>High school sweethearts who were separated close to seven decades ago reunited during the coronavirus pandemic and are now married.</p> <p>Their love story began 68 years ago, when Fred Paul and Florence Harvey first laid eyes on each other.</p> <p>The couple met when they were teenagers in Wandsworth, a small town in Newfoundland and Labrador province, Canada. They spent all their free time together, going for walks after church, stealing kisses in between classes, and attending concerts.</p> <p>Every night during the two years they were together, Paul, 84, would flicker his porch light before going to bed. It was his way of telling Harvey, who lived across the bay, good night and that he loved her.</p> <p>"She was my first love. My first girlfriend and my first true love."</p> <p>But when Paul turned 18, and Harvey was 15, the two ended up going their separate ways. Paul relocated to Toronto for work. A year later, when he came back to look for her, Harvey had moved to another town.</p> <p>Eventually, they both married other people and started families.</p> <p>Come 2017, Harvey was single once again after she had lost her husband of 57 years to cancer. The couple were happily married and had five children together.</p> <p>Two years later, Paul's wife of nearly 60 years, also passed away. They had two children together.</p> <p>It was the shared grief over losing their spouses that brought them back together.</p> <p>Harvey reached out to Paul after hearing the tragic news, to reassure him that things would get better.</p> <p>During that first conversation which took place after Valentine's Day, they spoke about their lives, their children and grandchildren and celebrated each other's happy moments.</p> <p>"I never thought it would go past that," Harvey, 81, told CNN. "But we went from talking once a week, to twice, to three times, to every day for hours. We had really reconnected even though we hadn't seen each other in all those years. I knew this was it."</p> <p>"When I found out she was in town and was coming to me, it was 10:30 at night. I ran out of bed and got dressed and wrote 'Welcome Florence' in chalk on the driveway and when she arrived, I walked to the car, gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and I held her hand and I knew right away that she had taken my heart," Paul said.</p> <p>Just three days after reuniting, the couple made the decision to get married</p> <p>Despite their family questioning it, Paul and Harvey knew exactly what they wanted.</p> <p>Paul was also one month away from starting treatment for stomach cancer, but Harvey was committed to being by his side throughout the good and the bad, no matter what that meant.</p> <p>On August 8, Paul and Harvey exchanged vows in front of family and close friends at Norval United Church in Georgetown, Ontario.</p> <p>"You were the first young man to walk me home in my teens," Harvey told Paul during the ceremony. "I guess you'll be the last man to walk me home."</p> <p>Now, the couple plan to go back in time and retrace the first half of their love story by visiting the childhood town where they met and fell in love all those years ago.</p>

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Jon Bon Jovi reveals secret behind 31 years of successful marriage with high school sweetheart

<p>Rocker Jon Bon Jovi and his wife Dorothea Bongiovi are madly in love, just as they were when they first began dating back in high school.</p> <p>The couple opened up to <em><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://people.com/music/jon-bon-jovi-wife-dorothea-40-year-love-story/" target="_blank" title="people.com">People</a></em><span> </span>magazine on Wednesday and admitted the secret recipe to cook up a bond like the one they have shared for over 40 years.</p> <p>“Mutual respect,” Bon Jovi told the outlet.</p> <p>“Having grown up together and grown together. And we really like each other. We want to hang out.”</p> <p>The pair, both 58, have four children: Stephanie, 27, Jesse, 25, Jacob, 18, and Romeo, 16.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CFfZ-LJsYAh/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CFfZ-LJsYAh/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by BON GIOVI FAMILY🤍✨ (@bongiovi.family)</a> on Sep 23, 2020 at 12:25pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The <em>Livin’ On A Prayer</em> singer also admitted that in spire of the endless fame and fortune, Dorothea has always remained “without a doubt” his rock.</p> <p>“We work hard at it, but we enjoy each other and we never fell for the trappings of what celebrity can do,” he said.</p> <p>“We’ve witnessed that happen over the years to people that were close to us and people that we knew from afar. It’s just what I do, it’s not who I am. I write songs.</p> <p>“I happen to be very good at performing them. That’s it.”</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CFxFnj7s58A/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CFxFnj7s58A/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Bongiovi kids ( Fan Account ) (@bongiovi_kids)</a> on Sep 30, 2020 at 9:14am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The couple have also been outspoken on giving their kids a normal upbringing.</p> <p>Together the pair launched the Soul Foundation in 2006, and together alongside their family and the organisation, they aim to tackle homelessness and hunger in the United States.</p> <p>“It’s a partnership,” Dorothea told the outlet.</p> <p>“When we see injustice or people suffering, you want to help. We’re very blessed, and we have the ability to do that.”</p> <p>“I’m happiest if I like what I do for a living, I’m doing right by my family and I’m making the world just a little bit better,” Bon Jovi said.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7838138/bon-jovi.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/363c63675a9c41dbbd7514c7e6cd9df6" /></p> <p>The couple met at Sayreville War Memorial High School in their New Jersey hometown.</p> <p>In 1989, at the height of Bon Jovi’s success, the couple eloped to Las Vegas.</p> <p>Bon Jovi admitted he is not saint, and found a sanctuary in his marriage.</p> <p>“She’s the glue,” he said.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7838136/bon-jovi-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/42c1458918954fdeb1ad99d76a87b3e8" /></p> <p>“I’m the crazy visionary with all kinds of things flying, and the seams are all splitting. She’s the one following me with the glue and the thread and needle, keeping it all together.</p> <p>“Somehow I became the poster boy for a long-married rock star.</p> <p>“But I’ll accept the mantle because I’m so happy.”</p>

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Princess Stephanie's son marries childhood sweetheart at stunning wedding

<p>Surrounded by love and warmth, the wedding ceremony of 54-year-old Princess Stephanie's son with Daniel Ducruet, Louis Ducruet, 26, to his childhood sweetheart Marie Chevallier, 26, was truly a special event. </p> <p>It was the first royal wedding at Monaco’s Cathedral since Louis's famous grandparents, Princess Grace and Prince Rainier, said their vows while surrounded by over 200 guests. </p> <p>The joyous event was one to remember for the groom’s family with his mother Princess Stephanie crying <span>before the ceremony even began, according to local newspaper </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://l.instagram.com/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.monacomatin.mc%2F&amp;e=ATMaOke22gRxQ1cE9mpz2AEPDnqJiQSY_kn9-xlR_xaU3WB7IgPOXXXmjoZoa_5Bek-fhcqFFpaFqi_1" target="_blank"><em>Nice Matin</em>.</a></p> <p>Glowing bride Marie arrived in a vintage Rolls Royce decorated with feminine pink and white flowers where she was pictured wiping away what appeared to be tears. </p> <p>The grandson to Hollywood icon Grace Kelly married his college sweetheart in a lavish two-day wedding that began on Friday. </p> <p>The bride wore three outfits for the joyous occasion – an ivory jumpsuit and white midi dress both designed by Rosa Clara, along with a<span> traditional bridal gown made of silk and Chantilly lace designed by Atelier Boisanger. </span></p> <p>Scroll through the gallery above to see the beautiful wedding of Louis Ducruet and Marie Chevallier. </p>

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King Edward's affair with "sweetheart" before marrying Wallis Simpson

<p>As the only British monarch to abdicate voluntarily, the story of King Edward VIII is not to be missed.</p> <p>In 1936, King Edward VIII – who was the brother of Queen Elizabeth's father – rocked the British monarchy after he expressed his wish of marrying twice-divorced American woman Wallis Simpson. As head of the Church of England, Edward was advised against tying the knot with a divorcee, and his proposal was met with opposition from the religious institution and most politicians in the Commonwealth.</p> <p>After failing to find a solution, Edward finally abdicated his throne in December – making Queen Elizabeth's father King George VI of England – and left for Europe to marry Simpson the following year. The couple, who became the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, stayed together until Edward’s death in 1972.</p> <p>However, before the marriage, Edward also had a series of affairs with married women. One of them was English socialite and textile heiress Freda Dudley Ward, who Simpson once described as “my husband’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/18/obituaries/marquesa-first-true-love-of-edward-viii-is-dead-at-88.html">first true love</a>”.</p> <p>Dudley Ward first met Edward, then the Prince of Wales, in 1918 during an air raid in London, when she had been married for five years to Liberal politician William Dudley Ward. The two soon became smitten with each other and began their relationship.</p> <p>In the letters to Dudley Ward, which were later sold at Sotheby’s New York, the prince repeatedly avowed his love. “'I love you love you so so madly &amp; desperately,” he wrote in one of the correspondences. “I worship &amp; adore you my sweetheart &amp; cant bear being away from you.”</p> <p>He called her his “Sweetheart &amp; Tormentor” and “my little Fredie” while signing himself as her “little slave” and “little parpee” (puppy). He would also phone her four to five times a night, and would reportedly become bereft when the line was busy or she was out of the house.</p> <p>Soon the affair became well-known among the high society, with Winston Churchill <a href="https://winstonchurchill.org/publications/churchill-bulletin/bulletin-082-apr-2015/winston-the-windsors/">once commenting</a>, “It is quite pathetic to see the Prince and Freda. His love is so obvious and undisguisable.”</p> <p>Dudley Ward’s marriage with her politician husband was dissolved in 1932. She enjoyed the prince’s company for a couple more years until their relationship was abruptly ended.</p> <p>In 1934, she called the St James’s Palace after a few weeks of not hearing from the prince. However, the operator informed her, “I have orders not to put you through.”</p> <p>Sotheby’s expert Marsha Malinowski said even though Dudley Ward was “admired by almost everyone in the prince’s circle”, she knew “their relationship wasn’t going anywhere and never would.”</p> <p>Since then, the two never spoke or wrote to each other again. According to the <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/08/style/fractured-fairy-tale-an-archive-of-a-royal-romance.html" target="_blank"><em>New York Times</em></a>, the prince had become attached to Simpson, who did not favour any contact with old girlfriends.</p> <p>Dudley Ward went on to marry Pedro José Isidro Manuel Ricardo Monés in 1937, but they ultimately split up in 1954. She died in London in 1983 at the age of 88.</p>

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Teenager marries 72-year-old sweetheart

<p>A US teenager has tied the knot with his 72-year-old sweetheart after the couple met in a pizza restaurant, despite a staggering 53-year age gap.</p> <p><a href="http://www.news.com.au/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>News.com.au reports</strong></em></span></a> Gary Hardwick, 19, has been married to Almeda for two years and apparently popped the question after dating the pensioner for just two weeks.</p> <p>The couple, who live in Maryville, Tennessee, say it was love at first sight.</p> <p>“The first thing that attracted me to Almeda was her beautiful, gorgeous blue eyes. And her personality,” Gary said.</p> <p>“She’s always full of laughter and we just connected so well. The chemistry was great.</p> <p>“Everything about her has just captured my heart since day one.”</p> <p>Almeda added: “If you love somebody, age is just a number. I’ve now been happily married going on two years with my true soulmate.</p> <p>“We met at Chuck E Cheese, there was a birthday party there. I looked into his eyes and I just fell in love.</p> <p>“I knew he was the one I wanted to spend my life with. I was never intimidated by the age at all.”</p> <p>Despite the age gap, Gary and Almeda reportedly share a lot of interests.</p> <p>I never feel as though I’m missing out on anything by being married to Almeda,” Gary said.</p> <p>“I’m really mature for my age; I do not fit into the young age bracket at all.</p> <p>“I’ve never been attracted to younger women. Even when I was 13 or 14, I’ve always had an attraction for older women and when I told my grandmother, who raised me, I didn’t know how she would take it. But she accepted us.</p> <p>“A lot of people wait years to get married and everyone has different opinions on getting married quickly. But we knew we were in love, so I jumped on that.”</p> <p><a href="http://www.news.com.au/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>News.com.au reports</strong></em></span></a> Almeda’s grandchildren, Aaron and Indiana Elliot have been supportive, even though they found the relationship difficult to accept early on.</p> <p>“I only called him Grandfather once and it was when I was drunk,” Aaron said.</p> <p>“In my head, I see him as a friend more than a grandfather. But you know, our grandmother is happy.”</p> <p>Indiana, 17, added: “And how can you not be supportive about that?</p> <p>“For me personally, whenever they first got together it was a little bit weird. But, I mean, we live in the 21st century and those things really shouldn’t matter.</p> <p>“My mum on the other hand is very outspoken, because there’s an age difference between him and my mum too, so it’s a little weird to see your mother walking around with someone the same age as your own kids.”</p> <p>What are your thoughts?</p> <p><em>Hero image credit: Facebook / Gary Hardwick</em></p>

Relationships

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Childhood sweethearts banned from dating reunite 70 years later

<p>Ed Sellers and Katie Smith were just 14 and 15 years old respectively when they first met in North Carolina in the 1940s. For the next three years, the next-door neighbours traded love letters, went on chaperoned dates and fell in love.</p> <p>Then, suddenly, Katie’s parents stepped in and banned their daughter from ever seeing Ed again. They moved away and Katie, now 89, and Ed, now 88, remained separated for almost seven decades.</p> <p>During that time, they lived completely separate – yet happy – lives, marrying other people and having children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Sadly, Katie’s husband died 17 years ago, after a battle with cancer. Ed lost his wife to Alzheimer’s four years ago.</p> <p>Finally, after years of thinking about her, Ed plucked up the courage to give his old flame a call about a year and a half ago. “I came and got her number out of the phone book and started calling and she wouldn’t answer for a while,” Ed told <em>ABC News</em>.</p> <p>Eventually, she did pick up, and they began a routine of regular phone conversations. Their chats were going well, so one day, Ed drove 45 minutes to see Katie in person, and they picked up where they left off. It was as if a single day had never even passed.</p> <p>“They hit it off and they rekindled a friendship and the friendship grew to seem like they hadn’t even been apart,” Katie’s granddaughter Stefanie Helsel said. “He probably asked her for six months to marry him and she finally agreed. He tells the story that he doesn’t have enough fingers and toes to count the times he asked.”</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="498" height="245" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/43375/childhood-sweethearts-in-text_498x245.jpg" alt="Childhood Sweethearts In -text"/></p> <p>Now, they’re finally together, having tied the knot in a sweet ceremony – in rocking chairs, no less. The couple both honoured their late spouses by displaying their photos during the nuptials. “They’re not trying to replace them,” Helsel said. “They’re just happy to have a companion and comfort in the last years of their lives.”</p> <p>How sweet! Tell us in the comments below, how did you meet your partner or spouse?</p> <p><em>Image credit: Stefanie Helsel and Shakermickel Photography.</em></p>

Relationships

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WWII veteran to marry first love after 72 years apart

<p>World War II veteran, Roy Vickerman, 90, is set to marry his first love, Nora Jackson, 89, more than 70 years after he first proposed in 1944.</p> <p>The couple first met in 1940 at school in Bucknall, Staffordshire. They got engaged in 1944, both aged 18, a week before Roy had to go fight in the D-Day Landings in Normandy. But when Roy returned home to England, he struggled to adjust to civilian life. Shell-shocked and broken, Roy broke off the engagement to Nora.</p> <p>Both moved on with their lives, going on to marry and have children, and later grandchildren. However, for seven decades Roy regretted losing his childhood sweetheart and set about finding her. He eventually tracked her down after calling into radio show “Late Night Love”. With the help of the station, Roy found Nora, who was incredibly living just a mere two miles away from him.</p> <p>At their reunion, they both discovered their partners had since passed away and immediately picked up where they left off.</p> <p><img width="469" height="262" src="https://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/ad_2018757021.jpg?w=620&amp;h=346&amp;crop=1" alt="Roy Vickerman who is celebrating his 90th birthday by getting engaged to his fiancÈ, Nora Nicholls ñ who he was engaged to during the war years, but lost contact for over 70 years. See NTI story NTILOVE. Roy Vickerman told a taxi driver to wait while he called on his former fiancÈe whom he'd not seen for 70 years. The D-Day veteran had no wish to upset his ex-girlfriend ñ neither did he know if she was still married ñ so he simply planned to give her some flowers, apologise for the way their affair had ended, and then leave. Instead, Nora Jackson threw her arms around Roy as soon as she saw him. And now a year on, the couple have celebrated their engagement at Roy's 90th birthday party. The couple first met at school in Stoke-on-Trent after Roy had been evacuated from London and they soon became engaged ñ but the war interrupted their plans. Roy was called up to serve with Black Watch, then joined the army intelligence corps. He took part in the Battle of the Bulge and was wounded by a sniper during the invasion of Germany. The affair ended when he returned home, suffering what today would be diagnosed as post-traumatic stress disorder. Roy and Nora both moved on with their lives. They both married and had children." class="img-align-none wp-image-5796052 size-full" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>“I knew him straight away, but I never thought I would see him again,” Nora said of their meeting. “It was a shock to see him, because it had been such a long time, but it was lovely. It was just like old times.”</p> <p>A year on at Roy’s 90th birthday, Roy proposed to Nora for a second time – with the same engagement ring he proposed to her with 72 years ago.</p> <p>“She knew I was going to propose because it was the original ring but the guests didn’t know,” Roy said. “I didn’t go down on one knee because I wouldn’t get up again, but we had the first dance.”</p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/relationships/2016/01/confessions-of-senior-online-dater/"><em>Confessions of an online dater</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/relationships/2015/08/unexpected-places-meet-someone/"><em>7 unexpected places to meet someone</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/relationships/2015/10/costs-of-online-dating-scams/"><em>The shocking costs of online dating scams</em></a></strong></span></p>

Retirement Life

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84-year-old grandma marries high school sweetheart after 50 years apart

<p>An 84-year-old grandmother in the US has proven it’s never too late for love.</p> <p>At Phyllis Opper’s 50th high school reunion in Massachusetts, she reconnected with her old high-school classmate Nate Workman, 85.  It didn’t take long before the pair fell in love and decided to get married.</p> <p>Phyllis’ granddaughter, Lindsay, 27, shared the heartwarming story of the lovebirds’ reunion on the Today show in the US.</p> <p><img width="479" height="270" src="http://media3.s-nbcnews.com/j/newscms/2016_07/978841/ehas-phillys-160218-04_eca130600b2ef8d90f32f07cf85b8ac7.today-inline-large2x.jpg" alt="84-year-old couple marry" class="j-entry-img" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>According to Today, after the school reunion the pair began exchanging emails which soon developed into a relationship. Lindsay revealed her grandma had “a case of the schoolgirl giggles.” Then last November at Lindsay’s boyfriend’s birthday dinner the pair announced they were going to get married. Three weeks later, Grandma Phyllis walked down the aisle.</p> <p>“I didn't think it was possible for my grandmother to become even more beautiful, but Nate has cast the most magnificent light that shines through her smile and sparkles in her eyes,” said Lindsay, adding, “As a teenager, I learned that it’s never too late for love.”</p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/relationships/2015/12/famous-quotes-about-marriage/">13 famous quotes about marriage</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/relationships/2015/12/soulpancake-what-is-love-video/">People aged 0 to 100 define what is love</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/relationships/2016/01/how-to-make-love-last/">The secret to make love last</a></em></strong></span></p>

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Mature 5-year-old struggles with breaking up with kindy sweetheart

<p>Five-year-old Quinn Heffernan is talking to her mother Sloane about a break up.</p> <p>Quinn wants to break things off with her kindy sweetheart, but doesn’t know what to do.</p> <p>“He's sweet and romantic, but I think I'm too young to have a boyfriend,” she says. “But, it's like, he looks so happy, and it's just... I don't wanna break his heart.”</p> <p>Quinn shows remarkable maturity when discussing such a sensitive topic, and we’re surprised her mother was able to keep it together.</p> <p>Watch Quinn come to terms with this breakup in the video above.</p> <p><em>Video credit: Facebook / Sloane Heffernan</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2016/02/croc-hunter-snares-second-biggest-crocodile-ever-caught-in-australia/">NT croc hunter snares second biggest crocodile ever caught in Australia</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2016/02/emu-cools-down-under-a-sprinkler/">Emu cools down under a sprinkler</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2016/02/fingerless-pianist-impressive-piano-skills/" target="_blank">Fingerless pianist shows off impressive piano skills</a></strong></em></span></p>

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Mature 5-year-old struggles with breaking up with kindy sweetheart

<p>Five-year-old Quinn Heffernan is talking to her mother Sloane about a break up.</p> <p>Quinn wants to break things off with her kindy sweetheart, but doesn’t know what to do.</p> <p>“He's sweet and romantic, but I think I'm too young to have a boyfriend,” she says. “But, it's like, he looks so happy, and it's just... I don't wanna break his heart.”</p> <p>Quinn shows remarkable maturity when discussing such a sensitive topic, and we’re surprised her mother was able to keep it together.</p> <p>Watch Quinn come to terms with this breakup in the video above.</p> <p><em>Video credit: Facebook / Sloane Heffernan</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2016/02/croc-hunter-snares-second-biggest-crocodile-ever-caught-in-australia/">NT croc hunter snares second biggest crocodile ever caught in Australia</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2016/02/emu-cools-down-under-a-sprinkler/">Emu cools down under a sprinkler</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2016/02/fingerless-pianist-impressive-piano-skills/" target="_blank">Fingerless pianist shows off impressive piano skills</a></strong></em></span></p>

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Childhood sweethearts celebrate 70 years of marriage

<p>After more than seven decades together, Nelson couple Gilbert and Joan Mackie know a thing or two about what makes a happy marriage.</p> <p>The couple recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary and the lounge in their villa at Summerset in the Sun retirement village in Stoke is filled with cards and flowers from friends and family. The first to arrive was a card from the Queen, congratulating them on reaching the milestone of 70 years of marriage.</p> <p>Gilbert and Joan, aged 94 and 90, agree their success comes down to hard work and being dedicated to each other.</p> <p>"We just got married, had children and worked, that was it," Joan said. "It is quite an achievement when I stop and think about it."</p> <p>"She was my sweetheart then and she is still my sweetheart, it hasn't changed" Gilbert said.</p> <p>He was working as a farmer in French Pass and Joan was living with her family in Admiralty Bay when their paths first crossed.</p> <p>Gilbert said he was a very shy young lad when he met Joan on November 16, 1940 at a dance at the local hall. Several months passed before he saw her again when she returned to French Pass to work as a postmistress.</p> <p>"She was only a young chick of about 15 or something then and I was only 18," Gilbert said.</p> <p>Almost three years to the day they first met, the couple became engaged.</p> <p>Gilbert said in those days you had to get permission, so he wrote a letter to Joan's father asking for her hand in marriage.</p> <p>"I wrote a letter that I thought was good and I said [to Joan] you better read that," Gilbert said.</p> <p>"She reached for a pen and wrote on the bottom, 'Dad, you had better say yes, Joan', so I not only got one hand, I got two."</p> <p>The couple were married on November 3, 1945 in Blenheim.</p> <p>In the early days they lived on Kenny Isle, in the outer Pelorus Sound where Gilbert worked on a 6000 acre farm with nearly 10,000 sheep and 450 cattle and Joan took on the job of cooking in the cookhouse.</p> <p>There was no electricity and during the shearing season, Joan would be up long before the crack of dawn to light the woodstove and get the water hot enough for the cups of tea and food for the 22 shearers.</p> <p>With hills too steep to farm with horses, Gilbert would also be awake in the early hours, up the hill with the dogs at the break of day ready to muster.</p> <p>"That was only a tiny bit of our lives, a tiny bit, the first five years say," Joan said.</p> <p>They went on to have two daughters and a son, who Joan taught via correspondence before they moved into Blenheim so the kids could attend school.</p> <p>Gilbert's work farming then took them to Parnassus in North Canterbury and onto Dorie, near Ashburton for 10 years.</p> <p>Once the kids had they left home they made the decision to come back to Nelson to be amongst family.</p> <p>"I thought I'd had enough of farming, and farming in Nelson is totally different from where we had been," Gilbert said.</p> <p>So he bought a taxi license and drove a taxi for 12 years in Nelson where he met "oodles of people".</p> <p>The couple then retired and bought a house in the Mahau Sounds, just out of Havelock.</p> <p>Having lived in different places throughout the country, Gilbert said Joan had been the backbone in their life and did a lot of the hard work behind the scenes.</p> <p>"Everything landed on her, all the cooking and going to different farms, having to look after and care for our children as they grew up, she was there for everything," Gilbert said.</p> <p>The couple have five grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren spread throughout New Zealand and Australia who gathered in Nelson for the anniversary celebrations.</p> <p>"We have been really blessed," Joan said. "We are very pleased and proud of them."</p> <p>There were no secrets to a long and happy marriage but hard work was important, Joan said.</p> <p>"The thing is we have been together so long, each one relies on the other," Gilbert said.</p> <p>"Be dedicated to one another."</p> <p>"And learn from each other," Joan said.</p> <p>Written by Samantha Gee. First Appeared on <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz</a></strong></span>.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="/lifestyle/relationships/2015/12/famous-quotes-about-marriage/">13 famous quotes about marriage</a></span></strong></em></p> <p><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="/lifestyle/relationships/2015/12/soulpancake-what-is-love-video/">People aged 0 to 100 define what is love</a></span></strong></em></p> <p><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="/lifestyle/relationships/2016/01/science-behind-couples-who-die-together/">There’s a science behind couple that die close together</a></span></strong></em></p>

Relationships

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Childhood sweethearts celebrate 70 years of marriage

<p>After more than seven decades together, Nelson couple Gilbert and Joan Mackie know a thing or two about what makes a happy marriage.</p> <p>The couple recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary and the lounge in their villa at Summerset in the Sun retirement village in Stoke is filled with cards and flowers from friends and family. The first to arrive was a card from the Queen, congratulating them on reaching the milestone of 70 years of marriage.</p> <p>Gilbert and Joan, aged 94 and 90, agree their success comes down to hard work and being dedicated to each other.</p> <p>"We just got married, had children and worked, that was it," Joan said. "It is quite an achievement when I stop and think about it."</p> <p>"She was my sweetheart then and she is still my sweetheart, it hasn't changed" Gilbert said.</p> <p><img width="497" height="280" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/11486/old-couple-married_497x280.jpg" alt="Old Couple Married (1)" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>He was working as a farmer in French Pass and Joan was living with her family in Admiralty Bay when their paths first crossed.</p> <p>Gilbert said he was a very shy young lad when he met Joan on November 16, 1940 at a dance at the local hall. Several months passed before he saw her again when she returned to French Pass to work as a postmistress.</p> <p>"She was only a young chick of about 15 or something then and I was only 18," Gilbert said.</p> <p>Almost three years to the day they first met, the couple became engaged. </p> <p>Gilbert said in those days you had to get permission, so he wrote a letter to Joan's father asking for her hand in marriage.</p> <p>"I wrote a letter that I thought was good and I said [to Joan] you better read that," Gilbert said. </p> <p>"She reached for a pen and wrote on the bottom, 'Dad, you had better say yes, Joan', so I not only got one hand, I got two."</p> <p>The couple were married on November 3, 1945 in Blenheim. </p> <p>In the early days they lived on Kenny Isle, in the outer Pelorus Sound where Gilbert worked on a 6000 acre farm with nearly 10,000 sheep and 450 cattle and Joan took on the job of cooking in the cookhouse.</p> <p>There was no electricity and during the shearing season, Joan would be up long before the crack of dawn to light the woodstove and get the water hot enough for the cups of tea and food for the 22 shearers. </p> <p>With hills too steep to farm with horses, Gilbert would also be awake in the early hours, up the hill with the dogs at the break of day ready to muster.</p> <p>"That was only a tiny bit of our lives, a tiny bit, the first five years say," Joan said.</p> <p>They went on to have two daughters and a son, who Joan taught via correspondence before they moved into Blenheim so the kids could attend school.</p> <p>Gilbert's work farming then took them to Parnassus in North Canterbury and onto Dorie, near Ashburton for 10 years.</p> <p>Once the kids had they left home they made the decision to come back to Nelson to be amongst family.</p> <p>"I thought I'd had enough of farming, and farming in Nelson is totally different from where we had been," Gilbert said.</p> <p>So he bought a taxi license and drove a taxi for 12 years in Nelson where he met "oodles of people".</p> <p>The couple then retired and bought a house in the Mahau Sounds, just out of Havelock.</p> <p>Having lived in different places throughout the country, Gilbert said Joan had been the backbone in their life and did a lot of the hard work behind the scenes.</p> <p>"Everything landed on her, all the cooking and going to different farms, having to look after and care for our children as they grew up, she was there for everything," Gilbert said.</p> <p>The couple have five grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren spread throughout New Zealand and Australia who gathered in Nelson for the anniversary celebrations.</p> <p>"We have been really blessed," Joan said. "We are very pleased and proud of them."</p> <p>There were no secrets to a long and happy marriage but hard work was important, Joan said.</p> <p>"The thing is we have been together so long, each one relies on the other," Gilbert said.</p> <p>"Be dedicated to one another."</p> <p>"And learn from each other," Joan said.</p> <p>Written by Samantha Gee. First appeared on <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz</a></strong></span>.</p> <p><em>Video &amp; image credit: Marion van Dijk</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:  </strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/relationships/2015/11/best-way-to-ask-someone-on-a-date/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>The best way to ask someone on a date</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/relationships/2015/11/secrets-of-couples-who-stay-together-forever/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>14 secrets of couples who stay together forever</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/relationships/2015/11/rsvp-what-people-want-from-relationships/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>What people really want from relationships</strong></em></span></a></p>

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