Two survivors of the Manchester Arena bomb have found love together, four years on from the atrocity.
Millie Tomlinson, 21, and Caitlin Mc- Neil, 18, met during filming for BBC documentary Manchester Bomb: Our Story, 16 months after the attack that killed 22 concert-goers and injured more than 260.
They became pals helping each other come to terms with the ongoing trauma.
And this year they began dating with a romantic walk on Valentine’s Day.
Millie, who was 6ft from terrorist Salman Abedi when he detonated his device, told the Sunday Mirror: “We have something really special.
“We met as a result of something terrible, but it’s great that something so good has come from it.”
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The couple are so besotted they have even discussed getting married and having kids after university.
Caitlin, who plans to study fashion photography at Leeds this September, said: “We’ve told each other ‘I love you’. It didn’t take long. It’s embarrassing... but cute, I think!”
Last month Millie told the public inquiry into the attack after an Ariana Grande gig on May 22, 2017, how she and pal Lucy Jarvis had linked arms when they were “blown apart”.
The blast injured Millie’s left hand, legs and face and Lucy’s legs.
Surgeons repaired most of the visible damage but Millie still gets “flashbacks”.
“She really might have died,” saidCaitlin, who had gone to the concert with her mum Annette and sister Erin.
As they continue to rebuild their lives, they have an unbreakable bond.
Millie said: “When I’m feeling down, Caitlin can understand exactly what I’m feeling because she was there.”
Millie, a University of Salford radio and TV student, from Wigan, Lancs, and Caitlin of nearby Garstang, marked yesterday’s anniversary with other survivors.
Caitlin added: “Even though it happened because of something so tragic, I can’t imagine us not being together now.”
