A Dumfries gran who has waited three decades to marry has told how the ceremony faces being cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Kelly Anderson, 42, had booked a dream wedding in Cyprus this May.
She waited 28 years for fiance Jamie Shanks to pop the question after the pair got together when she was just a 13-year-old schoolgirl and he was 14.
The mum-of-three only received his proposal after she broke her leg and joked: “I think he felt sorry for me”.
Painter and decorator Jamie pushed the boat out by taking his beloved for a kebab at a Newton Stewart eatery before proposing to Kelly.
She told the Standard: “We have been planning for about two years. I broke my leg a couple of years ago and that’s when Jamie proposed.
“We were never really bothered about getting married. We were quite happy just the way we were. I’ve been engaged for 30 years.
“But as soon as he said ‘let’s set a date’, that was it, the ball was rolling and we went ahead.”
She told how relatives expected their relationship to fizzle out after they got together at such a young age, saying: “Nobody thought it would last but we went on to have two kids and then we decided to do it again and had Enzo nine years ago.”
The carer has saved hard for two years to foot the bill for the £4,000 holiday, including flights with air operator Jet2, as well as a £6,000 wedding package at the idyllic King Evelthon Beach Hotel in sunny Paphos.
But the May 21 date is in jeopardy after the coronavirus outbreak has ravaged the globe and led to the suspension of air travel.
Kelly, of Lochside, added: “I’m quite worried about it but VIP Brides in Cyprus, who have arranged the wedding, have been brilliant and they have offered to move it to another date.
“I took out wedding insurance last year after Thomas Cook.
“But it doesn’t look like I will even need to claim it.”
The news has even unsettled unassuming Jamie, 44, says Kelly.
“He is quite quiet but he sees the seriousness of the situation but he said just to rebook it, don’t panic.”
Kelly, who has sons Enzo, 24-year-old Corey and daughter Chloe, 21, with Jamie, said: “I’m thinking of moving it to the same time next year but saying I’ve been engaged for 31 years doesn’t have the same ring to it.”
The couple also have a 12-week-old granddaughter, Willow.
Holiday operator Jet2 say they can’t confirm whether they will be able to fly the couple to their dream wedding.
A spokeswoman for the company said: “The Cypriot authorities have announced an updated range of measures and restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of Covid 19, including the closure of hotels and a compulsory 14 day period of self-isolation for all citizens arriving from the UK.
“This is a fast-moving and complex situation and we will review further options as it evolves.”
