FOR REALITY STAR SAM CHAWNER The past just floated away and I was ready to start my new life
With guests at Bolton do
talking online and was so pleased that our first date went so well. Sam is such a kind and honest person, and we just felt comfortable together.”
The next few months were a dream – Matthew bought Samantha a red heart necklace for Christmas and they celebrated their first Valentine’s Day with a trip to Manchester.
Lockdown was challenging, as the couple could not see each other for months. But in late 2020 Samantha left her family in Wigan, Greater Manchester, and moved in with Matthew 40 miles away in Bolton.
She says: “It was a big step and my family were not happy about me moving out but I had to do it for my own future as he makes me happy.” That December, she opened a door
on her advent calendar to find an engagement ring inside and was thrilled when Matthew proposed.
Samantha recalls: “I started crying and said yes at once, and was really happy as it was a dream come true after everything.”
Hopeful
The pandemic meant their wedding had to be delayed and, sadly, more heartache followed with three failed pregnancies.
But the couple have not given up on having their own baby.
Samantha, who cannot work at the moment due to an injury, says: “It was heartbreaking to lose the babies but we are hopeful for the future. I’m also a stepmum to Matthew’s three children, who we see once a month, and we have our dog, one-year-old French bulldog Cleo.”
Samantha became estranged from her family when she moved out and reconciled with mum Audrey just days before she died in January, aged 73. Samantha reveals: “Matthew convinced me that it was the right thing to do to go and make my peace with her and say goodbye.
“I was really shocked as she was so thin and she was blind, and not able to speak, but I told her I loved her and she touched my hand.
“She knew I was there and I felt like I had made my peace with her.”
Her family told her she was not welcome at the funeral, she claims – so she is planning to commemorate her mum personally now she has married.the big day was held at Bolton’s Albert Hall in front of 100 friends and family – although Emma, 34, and Philip, 68, were not there.
Instead, friend and neighbour Peter escorted Samantha down the aisle.
The bride worked hard at her gym and healthy eating regime in the run-up to the nuptials, dropping to 24 stone and a size 22 in order to feel elegant in her Wed2be lace and tulle gown with 9ft veil.
Matthew, unable to work at present due to a spinal condition, looked dapper in a royal blue suit and fedora, and had his triplet nephews as his best men. At their reception at nearby Farnworth Cricket Club, the newlyweds cut a Legothemed cake inspired by their shared love of the toy before having their first dance to Ben E King’s Stand By Me.
Samantha says: “I couldn’t believe Matthew and I had so much in common. I was so overjoyed to marry him and become Mrs Parkinson.”
She has also come to terms with her infamous family not being there, saying: “The future is really bright. Matthew’s family are my family now and I feel like I have started a new life – the one I never dared hope for.”