Mrs Donaghey said today: 'Our wedding was amazing and really romantic'

She is a beautiful blonde hairdresser who turns heads in the street.

He on the other hand - and by his own admission - is not quite as picturesque.



But the difference in looks hasn't stopped Darren Donaghey and Kate Cathcart, from tying the knot - five months after the groom-to-be was crowned winner of a 'Punching Above Your Weight' contest.



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Dearly beloved: Darren Donaghey and his new wife Kate Cathcart pose for a photo following the ceremony at the luxurious Matfen Hall in Northumberland In the spotlight: The couple tied the knot in front of around 80 guests eight months after they won the 'Punching Above Your Weight' competition Mr Donaghey, 29, who was awarded the title in the Metro Radio competition in March, wed his 24-year-old bride at Matfen Hall in Northumberland on Sunday. Today, Mrs Donaghey said she was delighted to have married her partner of eight years in an 'amazing' ceremony. RELATED ARTICLES Previous

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Next Woman, 20, invites police officer who saved her from choking... 'We have the parts so we use them': Transgender couple with... Share this article Share The full-time mother said: ' Our wedding was amazing, we had pale pink roses, neutral flowers and lots of candles. It was really romantic. 'I was nervous at first about walking down the aisle but as soon as I saw Darren I was alright.



The happy couple: Darren Donaghey, 29, and Kate Cathcart, 24, cut their wedding cake after tying the knot at Matfen Hall in Northumberland at the weekend Loving look: The couple who have been together for eight years make their union official

Competition champion: Mr Donaghey, from Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne, was crowned 'Punching Above Your Weight Champion' earlier this year for the comparison between him and his stunning partner Miss Cathcart

Neighbours: The couple, pictured with their son Jaxon, met when Kate moved into the same street as Darren in Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne

'Darren was dressed in a black tail suit on with a grey waist coat. My dress was a fitted, sweet heart type, it was lovely.

'We had 53 close friends and family there and it was magical. Everybody is really happy that we are finally married. They are all saying it is about time.'

The couple, who have a two-year-old son called Jaxon, met when Mrs Donaghey moved into her future husband's street in Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Over the past eight years, Mr Donaghey said he had become used to getting abuse about his appearance in comparison to his partner's.

'Lucky': The public voted Darren one of the North East's luckiest men as he scooped the award on Metro Radio

'For years I’ve had stick about how I managed to woo Kate and it’s not unusual to be out together and other guys to innocently start chatting Kate up, thinking that I couldn’t possibly be with her,' said the sales adviser.



'Even when we are out shopping at Asda I get these funny looks from blokes and I know what they are thinking.'

Happy: The couple will be going on a two-week honeymoon to Rhodes, Greece, in September

Mrs Donaghey said her husband had entered them into the 'Punching Above Your Weight' radio competition following years of 'stick'.

'When we first won the competition people had been flooding the emails at Metro Radio saying how strange it was for Darren to be with me,' she said.



'And when the local press got hold of it even more comments came through saying how shocked they were that I was with Darren and how ugly Darren was.

'But for every horrible comment there was at least three lovely comments saying what a lovely family we were.

'People say love is blind and I guess I must be a prime example to that, but to me, Darren really is my Prince Charming.'

She added: ' I love Darren dearly and as most people know, looks aren’t everything. We joke about it all the time.'

The couple picked up the award live on the Metro Radio Steve and Karen Breakfast Show.

As part of their competition prize, they won a two-week honeymoon in Rhodes, Greece, which they will take up in September.

Presenter Steve said: 'When they walked in my jaw dropped. She was simply stunning and... what can I say about Darren.

'There was some innocent flirting going on from my side. Seriously though, they were a fantastic couple and we were chuffed to bits to see them win.'

Not quite ugly enou gh: Th e mis ma tched coup les wh o entered the competition ... but missed out to Darren and Kate

Hundreds of couples from the North East entered the Punching Above Your Waist competition hosted by Metro Radio earlier this year.

Despite being labelled as odd couples, they all submitted their best photos in a bid to win a free holiday.

The entries were then put to a vote online, with listeners putting four mismatched couples through to the final.

Darren and Kate - now Mr and Mrs Donaghey - were eventually named the winners. Here are some of those who missed out:



Smile: Emma Kipling and Michael Stubbs entered this photo for the Newcastle-based competition Newlyweds: Natash Aazdi and her husband Ben entered the competition after their wedding day Raising eyebrows: Ben and Steph were one of the couples who missed out on the free holiday to Greece Couple selfie: Lizzie Webster and Andrew Telfer look into the lens while dressed smartly for their entry photo Kiss on the cheek: Pavinder Kaur Singh receives a peck from her boyfriend Sean Roudh Last year's winners: Mark and Claire met when they were 15, and were crowned as the winners of the competition in 2013



