‘I DIDN’T EVEN LIKE MY HUSBAND FOR MORE THAN A DECADE’
Diane Amey, 42, an entrepreneur, lives in the South Downs, Hampshire, with husband Lee, 43, who’s in the Army, and their children Lucy, 18, Finn, 12, and Evie, 10. On the football field, everyone was yelling. It was 1988, I was nine, and two primary school classes were scrapping. I’ve no idea now what it was about, but I was on one side and Lee, then 10, was on the other. There was no love lost between us for the next 12 years. Until one date changed everything.
Growing up in a village in the South Downs, everyone knew each other. From infant school, Lee was this noisy, football-obsessed boy, and I wasn’t impressed.
At secondary school in 1991, Lee became one of the popular kids. We had our own groups of friends, but they overlapped, so we were always bumping into each other. There was never anything romantic between us, though. I liked quiet, sensitive boys. With his laddish vibe, Lee was not my type.
In 1995, aged 16, I went to college to study nursery nursing and began working at a local nursery. Lee went to study engineering and joined the Army at 18.
Two years later, I was engaged to my boyfriend of a year, when Lee’s sister Laura started working at the nursery. It was right across the road from Lee’s parents’ house, but I was surprised when one day Laura said Lee had suggested I pop over for lunch. I felt it would be rude not to go, so we caught up and I told him about my job, flat and engagement. Suddenly, he jumped up and disappeared – I couldn’t believe how rude he was.
Three months later, I’d called off my engagement after we’d grown apart, and I was out with my friends at the local pub. Lee appeared with a rose, saying it was to cheer me up because of the break-up, and later asked me out.
I tried to put him off, until my best friend Kate pointed out that I had nothing better to do.
Sitting down talking to Lee in a lovely pub a few days later, something shifted. There was a sweetness in him that I hadn’t seen before.
We went for a drive and as we looked over the South Downs, I was shocked to realise what a great time I was having. In just a few hours I’d gone from not really liking Lee to completely falling for him. The kiss when I dropped him home sealed the deal and within a month we were in love.
Lee’s mum Dot later dug out photos of us as teenagers, including one from a party when we were 13, playing a silly game, unaware love lay ahead for us.
Lee later told me he was going to ask me out that day he’d invited me for lunch, but then I told him I was engaged and he ran off!
We got married in 2001, when I was 22 and Lee 23, with 250 people squashed into the village hall. We were thrilled when our daughter Lucy arrived in 2003, followed by Finn in 2009 and Evie in 2011.
But there have been tough times. Finn was born with Apert syndrome, which causes abnormal development of the skull. He’s needed 15 surgeries, which were especially tough when Lee was away working, but he has still been my rock, and Finn is doing brilliantly.
Lee was also amazing when, one month after I set up my brownie and bakes company, Wild Tea Bar, the pandemic hit and I was left struggling to build a business.
Our relationship might be the opposite of love at first sight, but when the moment was right, I finally saw the real Lee and that’s been our happy ending.
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