Woman & Home

Older, wiser & IN LOVE

‘If I’d have met Bob earlier in my life we wouldn’t have got on ’

Belinda Tompkins, 53, is a health and safety executive. She lives in Milton Keynes with husband Bob, 53, a retail warehouse operative, and their son Max, 12. Bob also has three children aged 17, 21 and 24 from his previous relationships.

A few years ago I went to do a health and safety inspection on a care home. When I arrived they apologised for the relative chaos and said, ‘We’re really in a mess today as we had a wedding yesterday!’ Two residents, with a combined age of 155, had fallen in love and become husband and wife. I found that amazing and inspiring! It showed me you can meet someone wonderful at any age or life stage.

I was turning 40 when I met Bob on New Year’s Eve. While it isn’t particularly late in life, it is if you’re going to then have a family.

I’d recently moved to the area and my new neighbours invited me along to a pub do. At

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