I made a promise to Cindy’s mum, and I won’t let her down
TRAGEDY SHAPED ‘FIRST DATES’ COUPLE’S RELATIONSHIP
ELAN Cohen fell for Cindy Thompson after they met on the Channel Four dating show First Dates last year – and tomorrow the couple return for a Christmas Day special.
There was an instant attraction as the pair bonded over Cindy’s heartbreak about her mum Angela’s terminal brain cancer and he opened up about his mum’s depression.
And they captured hearts, with #TeamKhaki trending on Twitter, when they turned up for their blind date in matching outfits.
“I invited her to Manchester the following weekend and that was it really,” said sales manager Elan.
He met Cindy’s parents last Boxing Day, two months after they filmed the show in October 2017, and in June Angela lost her life to a glioblastoma, the most common aggressive brain tumour in adults, 18 months after being diagnosed.
Elan supported Cindy through her mum’s illness, and is now helping her through her grief.
Angela’s last poignant words to Elan were ‘Please don’t let me down.’
“I held her hand and promised I wouldn’t,” said Elan.
“When I met Angela, I immediately got on with her and could see why Cindy loved her so much.
“She was a wonderful, kind woman but we were always under the shadow that she was dying.
“As her health deteriorated, it was really tough on Cindy and her family.
“I did what I could to help – taking her mum to hospital for appointments and digging the car out of the snow.
“But I am so grateful that I got to know Angela and I know that makes Cindy happy, too.”
Elan, from Prestwich, says he knew immediately that he and Cindy had similar values and morals with family coming first.
He said: “Her mum said it gave her peace of mind that her daughter had met someone who loved and cared for her.
“I’ll remember Angela’s last words to me until my own dying day, and I’ll always keep my promise.”
Now the loved-up couple, who are moving in together in the new year, join three other couples for a catchup on their stories.
The show also features three other pairs hoping for romance to blossom under the mistletoe.
Former King David School pupil Elan said it was ‘brilliant’ going back to the First Dates restaurant where he was matched with Cindy.
Elan said: “Cindy was my perfect woman and we also had chemistry in person. She’s stunning and naturally beautiful, and she’s down-to-earth, laid-back and easy to talk to.”
Cindy said: “Now I’ve had time to reflect, I know what a huge thing it was for Elan getting involved with me as it was a rollercoaster.
“I wouldn’t have blamed him at all if he’d decided it was all too much and walked away. But never, at any point, did I think he wouldn’t stay. He was always there to comfort me and keep me going.
“I’m looking forward to moving to Manchester in the New Year and making a fresh start with Elan.”
The couple are sharing their story to help The Brain Tumour Charity, which has just announced a groundbreaking clinical trial in memory of former minister Tessa Jowell who also died from glioblastoma in May.
Chief executive Sarah Lindsell said: “Like Cindy’s mum, 31 people a day are told they have a primary brain tumour – that’s over 11,400 people a year.
“Our research strategy, A Cure Can’t Wait, aims to double survival within 10 years and halve the harm brain tumours have on quality of life.”
First Dates at Christmas is screened on Channel Four tomorrow at 9.15pm. For information about The Brain Tumour Charity, see www.thebrain tumourcharity.org.