14 DAY TRIAL // He is 94 and she is 87, but, going to show that true love truly knows no age and / or limits, they have just become Britain’s oldest couple of newlyweds, knocking the record held until now by another couple with a combined age of 178. Sheila Walsh and Les Atwell met four years ago, fell desperately in love at first sight and have just tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony, The Telegraph informs.
The two newlyweds met through a common friend. Although reluctant at first about the whole dating thing – Sheila in particular was opposed to the idea because she did not want to date a man in his 90s –, the moment their eyes met, they knew they had made the right decision. Their first date was over coffee at a Tesco restaurant, which is also when they realized they had fallen in love at first sight. Four years later, Les took Sheila on another date to the same supermarket – but, this time, it was to propose to her.
“A friend told me about Les and I thought he sounded nice, but then she told me, ‘he’s 90,’ and I thought ‘oh no I’m not sure.’ But when we met, that was it, it was love at first sight.” Mrs. Atwell now recalls. “It doesn’t sound romantic to propose at a Tesco but it was where we first met so it was only right that I should ask her to marry me there as well. Once I popped the question it didn’t take us long to organize the wedding. When you get to my age you can’t hang around.” Mr. Atwell chips in.
Once Sheila said yes, they went to the planning stage. “The couple married at Oldway Mansion in Paignton in front of family members including Mr. Atwell’s son Stewart, granddaughter Catherine and sister Mary. They will enjoy a two week cruise for their honeymoon in the Mediterranean, including Barcelona, Rome and Athens.” The Telegraph writes of their ceremony and the plans they have for a honeymoon.
As also noted above, with their wedding, the Atwells have officially become Britain’s oldest couple of newlyweds. Until now, the record was held by John Dawkins, 89, and Penny Cooper, 90, who got married in 2007. The world record still belongs to French couple Francois Fernandez and Madeleine Francineau, who were 96 and 94, respectively, when they got married in 2002.