AN OLDER couple with a mutual passion for dancing have celebrated finding love for the second time, after losing both their previous spouses to cancer.
Former Tetbury town councillor Jean Henderson, 68, married her four-year partner Mike Collins, 69, in St Mary's Church, Tetbury at the weekend.
The couple met through their mutual love of dancing and hosted their wedding reception at Sir William Romney's School in Tetbury because Jean said it was the only place with a big enough dancing hall.
"We do all sorts of dancing; ballroom, Latin, swing but we really like rock'n'roll best and we had a special new routine planned for the wedding party," said Jean.
"Our dancing was disrupted for a while when I had a triple bypass at the end of January 2013 but after working hard to regain mobility and fitness I am almost back to where I was before I became ill."
The former Romney House Surgery manager lost her husband to cancer in 2009 and Mike's wife died of the same disease in 1995. Discovering they had both been through the same heartbreak brought the pair even closer together.
Jean's two granddaughters travelled all the way from Australia with her son and his wife to be bridesmaids for the wedding, and the couple celebrated with around 100 guests at the event, including Mike's two children, his three step-children and his many grandchildren.
The couple will be moving to Dorset, where Mike lives, in the near future but will both be coming back to Tetbury now and then as Jean hopes to be an elf again at Santa's Grotto during Christmas time.
Mike is currently living with Jean in Tetbury before the big move and also took part in the Tetbury Woolsack Races 2015, the oldest person ever to do so.
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