The moment I knew: I looked at her over my bowl of minestrone and thought, ‘I could spend the rest of my life with you’

‘What really sealed the deal was the devotion she developed to my beloved Chelsea FC’: Matt Preston and Emma at their wedding in 1999 Photograph: Matt Preston

I first came to Australia from England in 1990 with my then girlfriend. She was Australian and, naturally, she introduced me to plenty of locals. Among them was Emma.

We got along well and at one stage she cooked us all a meal and I remember thinking, “Who is this girl?” But I was with someone else, and really I was just impressed by what cool friends my girlfriend had.