An elderly ‘Romeo and Juliet’ have finally tied the knot – six decades after their parents blocked their plans to get married as teenagers.
Besotted Len Allbrighton, then 19, got down on one knee to propose to his 18-year-old childhood sweetheart Jeanette Steer in 1963.
The loved-up pair dreamed of swapping ‘Swinging Sixties’ Britain for a life on the other side of the world in Australia.
Len moved Down Under to set the ball rolling on their new adventure and eagerly awaited the arrival of his fiancee.
But their hopes were dashed when Jeanette’s parents found out about their teenage daughter’s engagement and hit the roof.
They banned the pair, who met as trainee nurses, from marrying and ordered heartbroken Jeanette to stay put at home on the Isle of Wight.
The heartbroken teenagers eventually went their separate ways – beginning new lives on opposite sides of theglobe.
Len married an Australian woman and had three children, while Jeanette remained in the UK and became a married mum-of-two.
But when Len’s marriage ended in divorce in 2015, there was only one thing on his mind -tracking down his teenage girlfriend.
He returned to the UK and arrived unannounced outside Jeanette’s home on the Isle of Wight after finding her on the electoral roll.
Jeanette was still married at the time, but got in contact with Len again two years later when her husband died from cancer.
Incredibly she had saved the engagement ring she received from him as a smitten 18-year-old.
The pair went on rekindle their 1960s romance and set up home together in Stevenage, Herts, in 2018.
They tied the knot last month, aged 79 and 78, in front of their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Recalling their unexpected 2015 reunion, Jeanette said: “I nearly died when I realised it was him standing by my garden fence.
“I was glad he looked me up. I thought of him a lot at the time.”
She kept his identity secret from her first husband, claiming Len was a stranger asking for directions.
Len said: “I was daunted not knowing what her reaction would be or if I would even see her.
“I went on the off chance. It was not an easy place to find but I did. I just hoped she was ok, I didn’t expect anything else.
“I’m very surprised by the outcome of my trip down there and very happy too.”
Len popped the question for a second time last year – and this time there was nobody to stop them getting hitched.
They eventually walked down the aisle five years to the day since Jeanette moved to Stevenage.
“Married life is fantastic- it couldn’t be better. I like doing everything and anything with Len,” said Jeanette.
Len added: “We fell in love again. We read poems to each other and exchanged rings.
“I got emotional when reading mine. I was overwhelmed with my love for her.”