Amazing secret of newlyweds stunned to find they were once child sweethearts
Ed and Heidi as ‘sweethearts’ aged six in snap from a resort in Turkey in 1997 A COUPLE who married after meeting as students discovered they were actually childhood sweethearts – thanks to some old holiday snaps.
Heidi Parker and Ed Savitt started dating while both were at Newcastle University in 2011.
But if it had not been for a chance reminiscence and some detective work by Heidi’s mother, they would never have known they had already met and “fallen in love” aged just six.
Both had forgotten that they had teamed up and become inseparable during a holiday in Turkey with their respective families in 1997.
But old photos stored away in an attic of a shy little boy with a pudding-bowl haircut and a laughing girl confirmed the amazing truth.
Albums
And Heidi, now 26, said: “I didn’t believe in fate before finding that out but there’s no arguing with it – we’re clearly destined to be together.”
The couple started going out after Ed, who was studying psychology and business, moved into a house where Heidi had formerly lived.
He messaged Heidi, who was doing economics and management, about how to work the tumble drier after spotting her name on some post.
Four years later they were having dinner with their mothers, Kay Parker and Fiona Savitt, in Wandsworth, south London.
Kay casually mentioned Heidi’s “holiday romance” as a girl with a boy called Ed in Turkey. She recalled the youngsters had played together and held hands for most of the two-week break. Everyone thought it was a coincidence until a still-intrigued Kay went through old photo albums later.
In one marked “Gumbet, July 1997” she found a picture of the children and rang Fiona – and found the Savitts were there at the same time.
Kay said: “I was screaming, it was just unreal. I sent it to Fiona, then loads more photographs came out.
“None of us had any idea Heidi and Ed had met before university. Perhaps they had a subconscious realisation of that time together.”
Fiona added: “When Kay sent me the photo of the little boy I shrieked, ‘Oh my goodness, that’s Ed!’
“It was unbelievable. We sent it around to all our family and friends and everyone was amazed.”
The couple married in August at Haddon Hall, a medieval manor near Heidi’s family home in Derbyshire.
They now live in London where Ed, also 26, owns a coffee shop and Heidi is a communications officer.
Heidi said: “From the moment we started dating we were inseparable. It blows my mind that we might never have found out that we first knew each other all those years ago.”
Kay and Keith Parker are now good friends with Fiona and Jonathan Savitt and regularly go on holidays with each other.
And Ed and Heidi’s five brothers and sisters have all become pals too.
Kay added: “It was not just Heidi and Ed who met on that holiday but all of us. It is such a lovely story.”