A couple who met on a course to save their struggling marriages are now happily married themselves after leaving their spouses for each other.
Emma and Matthew Pruen, who have been married for 15 years, first met on a self-development course in East Sussex in 2001 - which they hoped could salvage their relationships.
The pair became friends and supported each other through their marriage struggles - but at first, they each had every intention of saving their marriages and remained platonic.
Both Emma and Matthew remained in their relationships for a further two years after meeting - but after a Christmas trip in Thailand, Emma knew it was time to separate from her husband.
She said: “We were away with no stress, no work and no pressure and it was just gorgeous there, but we still had the worst argument of all time, so there was no kidding ourselves. We knew we were at the end.”
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When she returned to the UK, she received an email from Matthew - who had also decided to separate from his wife of 20 years.
After the separation, he planned to move to Spain to figure out what he wanted to do next.
But the idea of Matthew leaving the country struck a chord with Emma, who didn't like it at all.
She said: “I found myself massively over-reacting and instead of thinking it was great and a really good move, I realised I would miss him terribly, which I thought was a bit extreme if he was just a friend.”
Emma convinced Matthew to stay with her in Brighton for a little while so they could attend a reunion of the course where they'd met two years earlier.
And when he arrived, the newly single pair took their relationship to the next level.
Emma recalled: "I noticed Matthew and I were sitting closer and closer to each other on the sofa, so I asked him, 'Is something happening here?' and he just said, ‘Do you want something to happen'?
"I was concerned because this was my best friend and I didn’t want to lose him, but it was like something from a Christmas film and all beautifully respectful.
"And it turned out we were as physically compatible as we were emotionally compatible."
After realising they were in it for keeps, Matthew returned from Spain to live with Emma and her son Iskander.
Two years later, on Emma's 40th birthday, he popped the question. Soon after tying the knot, the pair had a child of their own.
In 2013 the couple bought a run-down €180,000 four-bedroom house in the south of France, which they spent €300,000 on renovating into a centre for couples' retreats.
Now, The French Retreat is the site of their new passion - relationship coaching.
Gushing over her husband, Emma said: "Matthew is very good at pouring oil on troubled waters.
"I was lucky enough to fall in love with a peacemaker, which means I have a relationship I never dreamed of having."
The couple charges £1,200 for a four-day retreat, and they also run two-day courses in London for £300.
Emma said: "The only person you have any control over is you.
"If your relationship is struggling, you can’t change someone else, the only person you can change is you and that’s the principle that underlies all our relationship courses."
The pair base their coaching on The Hoffman Process, which teaches people to make behavioural changes that either improve their relationships or, if they're out of options, navigate separation.
Emma, who is a trained counsellor, said: "We are all drawn to something different but that can bring challenges and cause conflict. Because at some point, we realise just how different we are and then can feel repelled by our partner.
"The other factor is that when we get into bed with someone, we also get into bed with their parents, their families, their belief systems and their way of being."
Matthew thinks that, by helping others work on their relationships, the couple are improving their own bond.
He said: "The way we met was great because we got to know each other very deeply and very quickly, warts and all.
Did you meet your partner in an unexpected place? Email jessica.taylor@reachplc.com
"Working together as relationship coaches has only deepened that, because in sharing our ups and downs with others, we continue to learn even more about each other. "
For more information about the Pruens' work click here
