A besotted couple with a 40 year age gap had the last laugh at "haters" by celebrating their 17th wedding anniversary last month.
Edna Martin, 87, and Simon Martin, 47, say they walk hand in hand when they go out, and often have a "little kiss in the supermarket". They say they owe their marriage success to treating each other with affection and going out on adventures every day.
The two met at a concert, when she was 68 and he was 28, and they say it was love at first sight. Having married on July 8, 2005, the pair say they don't care what strangers think.
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Simon said: “We still go out together and walk hand-in-hand on our wheelers because we both struggle with out mobility. We have actually inspired other people in age-gap relationships to take the next step and get married.
“Our friends and acquaintances have always been happy for us but of course we just ignore any weird looks and comments. Love is love and everyone should ignore what anyone else says. Age is a state of mind, if you feel old, you are old."
For their anniversary, grandmother-of-four Edna bought Simon a torque bracelet, while he bought her some earrings with crystals. Edna, a retired engineer, said: “We are still very much in love and keep our relationship alive through our little adventures.”
Before moving in together, Simon who had never had a girlfriend before, lived in Birmingham, the West Midlands. They had to be long-distance lovers but couldn't bare to be apart so moved in together, in Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, after a few weeks.
Simon's family took some time to adjust to the age gap but as soon as they saw how happy their son was, they didn't care, he said. Edna said: "My daughter made our wedding cake and my son gave me away.
"He said at the wedding reception: 'I've been wanting to give my mother away all my life and this is the day for it'. My son is 57. My grandchildren are more the age that Simon is, but nobody takes any notice.
"The people where we live are very warm and friendly - they're not very judgmental, not that it's anyone's business."
The pair never shy away from public displays of affection and find it hard to keep their hands off each other. Edna continued: "When you love each other as much as Simon and I, it's reasonably impossible to keep your hands off each other. We often have a little kiss in the supermarket queue or pinch each other's bums.
Simon added: "We're very lucky we still enjoy a marvellous physical relationship. It's really wonderful that we can express our love publicly - not for other people, but for ourselves.
"It's very rare to see a couple of any age giving each other a loving peck or showing their affection."
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