The old romantics

 

Last month a Sussex story made national news and set a world record. It was the heartwarming tale of two Eastbourne lovebirds who, after 27 years, decided to tie the knot and we thought it was worth sharing again in case you missed it.

The couple, George Kirby and Doreen Luckie, tied the knot on 13 June, and became the world’s oldest newlyweds with a combined age of 194. George met Doreen at the age of 76, when he had just divorced, whereas Doreen had become a widow three years prior after 36 years of marriage. They had been living together since 1988 and after much pressure from their elderly children, they finally decided to get serious.

George said: ‘It’s about time, really. Doreen keeps me young and I can definitely say we’re going to spend the rest of our lives together.’

Doreen added: ‘I wasn’t a blushing bride, but I was a bit giddy. It was such a lovely day – and great to see everybody.’

Interestingly, marriage in 2012 (from the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics) was up 5%, the highest total in any year since 2004 and the largest percentage increase in the number of marriages was for men and women aged 65 to 69, the silver splicers, rising by 25% and 21% respectively.

Clearly, it’s never too late to say, ‘I do’!