Just 3 years together, but the happiest of our lives

Paul came into my life just five years ago. I’d never met a man like him before and know I never will again.

We met through a friendship club that puts people in touch with each other.

I was 74, living with MS and just been through a second cancer scare (I’d previously had a double mastectomy). In 2013, I’d emerged from a turbulent 48-year marriage. None of this put him off.

The two of us (pictured) arranged to meet for the first time at Harlow station in Essex and he gave me such a big bear hug I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. We married on my birthday, april 24, 2014.

He treated me like a princess, saying: ‘I don’t see your sticks and wheelchair — I just see a beautiful caring lady.’

Everyone loved Paul — my children, nine grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. They said it was a precious second chance at happiness. He’d been married, to Jean for 28 years, before her death in 2008.

Paul was born in Pembroke Dock, South Wales. He joined the Navy at 17 and spent the next decade sailing the world. a telecommunications specialist, he later worked on oil rigs in Bahrain and for a construction company in london.

But he never forgot his beloved Wales. He became events organiser at the london Welsh Rugby Club as well as running five london Marathons and 40 half marathons to raise money for children’s charities.

Sadly, six weeks after our wedding, Paul had a severe stroke and was paralysed down his right side. He couldn’t walk and lost some of his speech. unbeaten, he launched himself into his physiotherapy, saying: ‘I’m doing this for Veronica!’

We’d always thought it would be him looking after me, not the other way round. But I helped him with his speech therapy and we joined the ‘ Stroke Club’ in Haverfordwest and never looked back.

They loved him there. He’d tell his silly jokes, compile quizzes and when the Stroke association’s ‘Step out for Stroke’ mile walks started, he was the first to sign up. When he finished his last, at Pembroke Castle in June 2017, we dared to start planning our future — a cruise, weekends away, even a trip to australia.

But in July last year, Paul started getting terrible stomach pains and was diagnosed with cancer of the colon.

The world has lost a great man with a golden heart and I’ve lost the love of my life. We had just three-and-a-half years as husband and wife, but they were the happiest years of my life.