{"id":55913,"date":"2023-04-08T05:51:08","date_gmt":"2023-04-08T05:51:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/04\/08\/lovers-forbidden-by-their-parents-to-wed-as-teenagers-get-married\/"},"modified":"2023-04-08T05:51:08","modified_gmt":"2023-04-08T05:51:08","slug":"lovers-forbidden-by-their-parents-to-wed-as-teenagers-get-married","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/04\/08\/lovers-forbidden-by-their-parents-to-wed-as-teenagers-get-married\/","title":{"rendered":"Lovers forbidden by their parents to wed as teenagers get married"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Len
Len Allbrighton and Jeanette Steer at their long-awaited wedding (Image: Len Albrighton \/ SWNS)
\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

An elderly \u2018Romeo and Juliet\u2019 have finally tied the knot \u2013 six decades after their parents blocked their plans to get married as teenagers.<\/p>\n

Besotted Len Allbrighton, then 19, got down on one knee to propose to his 18-year-old childhood sweetheart Jeanette Steer in 1963.<\/p>\n

The loved-up pair dreamed of swapping \u2018Swinging Sixties\u2019 Britain for a life on the other side of the world in Australia.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Len moved Down Under to set the ball rolling on their new adventure and eagerly awaited the arrival of his fiancee.<\/p>\n

But their hopes were dashed when Jeanette\u2019s parents found out about their teenage daughter\u2019s engagement and hit the roof.<\/p>\n

They banned the pair, who met as trainee nurses, from marrying and ordered heartbroken Jeanette to stay put at home on the Isle of Wight.<\/p>\n

The heartbroken teenagers eventually went their separate ways \u2013 beginning new lives on opposite sides of theglobe.<\/p>\n

Len married an Australian woman and had three children, while Jeanette remained in the UK and became a married mum-of-two.<\/p>\n

But when Len\u2019s marriage ended in divorce in 2015, there was only one thing on his mind -tracking down his teenage girlfriend.<\/p>\n

He returned to the UK and arrived unannounced outside Jeanette\u2019s home on the Isle of Wight after finding her on the electoral roll.<\/p>\n

Jeanette was still married at the time, but got in contact with Len again two years later when her husband died from cancer.<\/p>\n

Incredibly she had saved the engagement ring she received from him as a smitten 18-year-old.<\/p>\n

The pair went on rekindle their 1960s romance and set up home together in Stevenage, Herts, in 2018.<\/p>\n

They tied the knot last month, aged 79 and 78, in front of their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.<\/p>\n

Recalling their unexpected 2015 reunion, Jeanette said: \u201cI nearly died when I realised it was him standing by my garden fence.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was glad he looked me up. I thought of him a lot at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

She kept his identity secret from her first husband, claiming Len was a stranger asking for directions.<\/p>\n

Len said: \u201cI was daunted not knowing what her reaction would be or if I would even see her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went on the off chance. It was not an easy place to find but I did. I just hoped she was ok, I didn\u2019t expect anything else.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very surprised by the outcome of my trip down there and very happy too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Len popped the question for a second time last year \u2013 and this time there was nobody to stop them getting hitched.<\/p>\n

They eventually walked down the aisle five years to the day since Jeanette moved to Stevenage.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarried life is fantastic- it couldn\u2019t be better. I like doing everything and anything with Len,\u201d said Jeanette.<\/p>\n

Len added: \u201cWe fell in love again. We read poems to each other and exchanged rings.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got emotional when reading mine. I was overwhelmed with my love for her.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n