A First Dates applicant who found love with his match has married her - after being given just five years to live.
Terminally ill Mike Sumner met Zoe Welch on the Channel 4 show and they moved in together after falling for each other.
Mike had initially signed up to appear on the dating programme after he decided he wanted to go on TV as part of his bucket list.
The 38-year-old, who was Motor Neurone Disease, tied the knot with Zoe Welch, 31, in a relative's garden, in Bradford, West Yorkshire.
Mike, who lives in Grimsby, had been given approximately five years to live, but planned their wedding in just three months after his health started to deteriorate.
The couple had a small town hall ceremony at Sheffield Town Hall on 30th August 2022 followed by a wedding with their family on 17th September 2022 in a relative's back garden.
Mike entered in a DeLorean car, from his favourite film Back to the Future, and Zoe downed a pint of squash - recreating the stand-out moment from their first date when she downed a pint of beer.
Now happily married, the couple hope to cherish the time they have left together and have plans for a honeymoon in Italy next year.
“It was surreal seeing Zoe walk down the aisle in her dress," Mike said.
"She looked amazing and the I got emotional at the ceremony. It was fun turning up in the DeLorean car and seeing the guests' reactions."
Zoe, a people manager at a bank, from Sheffield said: “We wanted to have a non-traditional wedding and had just 20 people in the garden. It was such a special day.
"I helped Mike get ready and then went off to get ready, so my outfit was a surprise to him when he saw me.
"On our first date I downed a pint of beer so we recreated that moment, but I did it with squash as I'd already had a few drinks."
The couple decided on a purple theme as they "both like the colour and love Dairy Milk".
Mike had watched the dating programme for "years" and after he discovered he had limited time, it pushed him to apply.
After hitting it off on their date as friends, the couple stayed in touch and were both devastated when Mike got diagnosed with MND in November 2020.
“I was crushed,” Zoe said. “I really cared for Mike and knew I would support him through it all.”
Mike proposed to Zoe in March 2022, while on holiday in Florida, USA, and the pair decided to set their wedding for September when family and friends advised it might be better to do it sooner rather than later.
“We don’t know how much time we have so we wanted to do it sooner rather than later,” Zoe said.
“We only decided in July that we would get married in September, so it’s been a rush to arrange it all."
The newlyweds are now set to have a mini-moon in York and hope to go to Italy next year for their honeymoon.
"We'd love to have a bigger party with more guests to celebrate soon too," Zoe said. "It was an amazing day."
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@trinitymirror.com or call us direct 0207 29 33033.
