Couple Marry 60 Years After Being Forbidden to Wed by Their Parents

After six decades of waiting, Len Allbrighton, 79, and Jeanette Steer, 78, have finally tied the knot. The couple first met in 1963 when Len was 19 and Jeanette was 18, and they fell in love at first sight. Unfortunately, the age of consent at the time was 21 and Jeanette was three years too young, so their parents called off their engagement. Len moved to Australia, while Jeanette stayed on the Isle of Wight to become a nurse. Over the next 50 years, Len married another woman, had three children, divorced, and moved to Stevenage where he worked as a district nurse. Meanwhile, Jeanette married a naval officer and had two kids.

In 2018, Len tracked down his old flame by travelling to Newport and looking up her address using the electoral roll in the local library. He went to her garden fence and looked into her house, and Jeanette nearly died when she realised it was him standing there. After talking to him, she sent him away and told her husband that he was a stranger asking for directions. Two years later, Jeanette’s husband passed away from cancer and she reached back out to Len. In 2023, they were finally married with their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren bearing witness. Now, they are happier than ever before.