A couple who wed when the bride was just 17 say they've proved doubters who said it would "never last" wrong - and shared the secret to their 28-year long marriage. Their union would have been illegal today as the minimum marriage age in England and Wales increased to 18 as of March 2023.
Previously adolescents could get married at 16 or 17 with parental permission. Sabrina Humber, 44, and her husband, Jon, 46, met in March 1995 when they were teens.
Just 16 at the time, Sabrina was working as a cashier in Staines, Middlesex, while Jon was an 18-year-old delivery driver. Their whirlwind romance saw them move in together in May 1995 - just three months after they met.
Sabrina had fallen pregnant by August 1996 and they married in November 1996 - at the age of 17 and 19 - despite some relatives claiming their relationship wouldn't go the distance. Now the pair have four children and two grandchildren and are still happily married and living in Eye, Suffolk.
Sabrina says despite the challenges of health issues and raising their children, “there's no other person that I'd want to go through it with.” Sabrina, a former nurse who is unable to work due to spinal surgery and limited mobility, said: "Several members of both sides of our families said that it would never last, we were too young and they'd give it six months.
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"Thankfully we managed to prove them wrong and we sit here today thankful that we did. Life hasn't been too kind to us.
"I've had two spinal surgeries so I'm now longer able to nurse and my husband has been diagnosed with fibromyalgia - so we're long term sick. But there's no other person that I'd want to go through it with."
It was "total chance" that the couple met as Sabrina claims her dad almost grounded her on the night she bumped into her future husband. She said: "We met in 1995 when we were out with friends.
"They were in a car and they were driving around, and I said if you want to talk to us you can stop. They did, we got sort of chatting and what have you and that’s how we got to know each other.
"We sort of hung around for a little bit of that. Within about four weeks, five weeks, we were together.
"Actually I nearly didn’t go out on that night because my dad almost grounded me - so it was totally chance that we did meet. Jon was in his work clothes, so he was a bit grubby.
"But he was quite tall and had nice, broad shoulders. I was more interested in him than his friend. We didn't have mobile phones and stuff like that back then - so it was sort of house phone calls and having to speak to the parents and asking if he was in.
"He used to come all the way from his house in Felton, Surrey, and drive all the way to Egham, Surrey, and pick me up. Sometimes if my dad had a bad day he wouldn't allow anyone in - so then Jon would just drive all the way home again.
"Because he was three years older than me, 18 going on 19, we would go to local pubs and to the cinema a few times." Meeting Jon allowed Sabrina to escape from the chores her parents asked her to do at home.
She said: "I was the oldest of four children and I was the one that sort of did quite a lot in the house because both my parents worked full time. My dad was quite strict, so I didn't get out very much at all.
"Instead of being a usual teenager, I was helping with the children, with housework." In August 1996, Sabrina was annoyed with Jon when he proposed.
She said: "Jon had gone off to get this ring and I was upset because obviously he said I can't go with him. I was laying on the bed because I was upset and he laid on the bed next to me and just got this ring out - so I sort of ruined it because I was being dramatic.
“It wasn't the most romantic. He didn’t go to Paris and get down on bended knee in front of the Eiffel Tower, but it's still special to us."
At the same time they discovered Sabrina was pregnant with their first child in April 1997, when she was just 17. She said: “It was a shock because it wasn't expected. I was on the pill.
"So we sat down and said well, we're going to get married anyway - so we'll just bring it forward." The couple tied the knot in August 1997 - which was a "little bit strange" due to an allergic reaction on the wedding night.
Sabrina said: "We had a fairly big church wedding and at St. Mary's in Bedfont, Greater London. I had a traditional bridal gown, which was very nice. It wasn't a big fancy reception or anything like that.
“The next morning we hadn't slept very well, because the hotel that we stayed in following the reception used a washing powder on their clothes that I was allergic to. So, I woke up at 3.30 in the morning in hives. My new husband was in the shower with me trying to stretch me down trying to get all these massive welts.
“It was a strange, strange night, that's for sure. I remember looking out of the window over a nice view out of our hotel room window. Thinking ‘you’re a Mrs now’.”
The happy pair have gone on to have four children together - Samantha, 25, Kayley, 23, Dylan, 17, and Imogen, eight. Their eldest, Samantha, has also had two children, AJ, three, and Mckensie, one, making Sabrina and Jon doting grandparents.
Sabrina claims the secret to a long and happy life with her husband is avoiding intense arguments and marrying "your best friend" She said: “We don’t have blazing rows.
"We've both had our moments don't get me wrong. But there's never been shouting at each other from the bedroom windows and throwing clothes out - and we’ve always been faithful.
“I didn't want my kids to be brought up in a volatile relationship. Even at 16,17 I knew I didn’t want my kids being brought up too frightened to have their own opinions.
“There have been times where we've disagreed but I think if you just have a discussion about it, and don't sort of keep things bottled up, nine times out of 10 you know, you'll come to a resolution - whether it's a compromise or finding a common ground.”
Jon added: “And I know my place - to agree with whatever she wants and to keep quiet." The couple still make the effort to keep their relationship strong by spending quality time together.
Sabrina said: “We like to sometimes go out, to our local pub or for afternoon tea in local towns. It can be difficult with mobility issues and the cost-of-living crisis as well.
“We just try and spend time together and you know, we enjoy watching films and stuff like that, we’ve got a very similar taste. We’re together more than we’re apart.
“Find your best friend. If you can be with that person and be silent with them for an hour, but know that as soon as you open your mouth, their head’s going to be looking at you.
"If they're gonna support you for whatever reason, then just go with that person. If you can find somebody that is always there for you, you can’t go wrong.”
