It was love at first sight for ‘Big Deal act’ Marquez Shauna and Rafael Marquez who fell in love in the circus and ran away together.

23-year-old Dubliner Shauna Moore was 15 when she went to see the Tom Duffy Circus in Clontarf and she was "obsessed" from the minute she saw him.

Shauna told the Irish Mirror: “I was 15 and decided to go to see Tom Duffy Circus while he was working in Clontarf.

“We’re together eight years and yes we hope to get married for our ten year anniversary.

"We texted constantly every day, as soon as I finished school on a Friday I left and was with Rafael until Sunday."

And the pair are now set to wow the judges on Virgin Media One performing their rollercoaster act ‘Marquez’.

Rafael was a working clown at the circus when the love birds met and when their love grew Shauna joined the circus and the pair learnt to become roller coaster pros from Youtube tutorials.

Shauna added: “We bought the roller skates and we messed around a bit, then we took it really seriously when the circus owner said we could have a job if we had the act by the end of the year.

“I fell in love with Rafael and then I ran away with the circus.”

Shauna added: “The judges on the Big Deal were very positive, we loved every minute.”

• The Big Deal airs on Virgin Media One at 8pm tonight.