Wedding Bel MENDING BRIDGES

After a heated honeymoon in Adelaide, Bel Clarke and Haydn Daniels’ future hangs in the balance, but thanks to the couple’s nuptials, one relationship is on the mend.

Following almost five years of no contact, Bel, 25, and her mum Joanne were reunited on the bride’s big day. “I always knew if I didn’t extend the invite to Mum, our relationship wouldw be irreparable,” says Bel,B who works in travel andan tourism. “She will alwaysal be my mum and differencesd aside, I will nevern stop trying to repair thatth bond.”

Bel’s parents separated when she was nine and she’s a proud “Daddy’s girl”. The blonde beauty lived with her mum until her late teens, when she moved in with her dad Trevor. “I call him Papa T – he’s my best friend,” says Bel. “Dad and I are similar – we are both very driven and adventurous, whereas the rest of my family is quite content sticking to what they know.

“I’ve often felt like the dark sheep and thought my mum favoured my siblings more, which put a strain on our relationship.”

But Bel says extending the olive branch to her mum is the first step to repairing their fractured relationship. “It just wouldn’t have felt right without her at my wedding – I felt a sense of calm knowing she was there.

“It’s baby steps,” adds Bel. “I still have my dad on speed dial, but I know from now on that when I really need my mum, she’ll be there.”