A most unexpected ROMANCE

One couple found each other when love was the furthest thing from their minds

- VERONIQUE HAWKSWORTH, TRACY WEDDING

It's often an assumption that only the young can experience the passion, excitement and butterflies that come with new love. And that for most who lose a spouse after decades together, their chance of feeling, or finding, love again are unlikely. That may be the case for some, but for Dorothy Waterfield, when she found herself widowed at the age of 78, her life took a path even she could never have written for herself.

'I grew up in Epsom and was married to my late husband Peter for over 50 years. We were very happily married for many years but then, sadly, my husband got Parkinson's disease. Towards the end of his life, it affected him both physically and mentally, and he didn't even know me any more,' Dorothy, now 92, remembers. 'It was painful watching the love of my life deteriorate over the years. I lost my soulmate.'

In 2008, Peter sadly died and Dorothy learnt to manage on her own, although at times, it was challenging. 'I had mobility issues, and while I managed for several years on my own, with the support of regular carers coming to my home, I knew I needed more support, Dorothy explains.

In 2017, she sold her home and moved to Fernbank Residential Home in Worthing where, while she could still live independently with her own room and space, she had a great deal more support and, equally as important, company.

Dorothy settled in quickly, even joking with a friend who'd recently found love again at 80, having lost her husband, that the same might happen to her.