Friends who made pact to marry if they were still single at 40 get hitched

A couple who split in their 20s agreed to marry if they were still single at 40 - and after a chance meeting have now tied the knot.

By The Newsroom Tuesday, 17th July 2018, 2:56 pm Updated Tuesday, 17th July 2018, 3:01 pm

Devoted Mairi Gordon, 45 and Rhys McLellan, 43, went out in their 20s but parted ways in 1995.

They agreed that if they were still both single at 40 they should marry - and that promise has now come true.

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The couple have now married 22 years later.

The couple got married after a chance meeting

Make-up artist Mairi, said: “I never forget the day we split up when we were young we said to each other if we are still single at the age of 40 we would get married.

“I still can’t believe that we did it.”

Mairi who describes Rhys as the love of her life, said in 2009 she randomly bumped into electrician Rhys for the first time since they broke up.

She said: “I went to a Fashion show with a friend who had been organising it for St Columbas Charity.

Mairi Gordon and Rhys McLellan when they were a young couple back in 1995. Picture: SWNS

“Rhys was a volunteer for the charity and we all went for a drink after the show.

“There was definitely a spark between us, however, nothing was acted upon as we were both in committed relationships.

“I was living in Cornwall and he was in Leith, Edinburgh at the time.”

Mairi Gordon and Rhys McLellan on their wedding day 22 years after they split in 1995. Picture: SWNS

Three years later Mairi moved back to the Scottish Capital after splitting up with her long-term boyfriend of 12 years.

While apart neither Mairi or Reece got married or had children - Mairi was in a longterm relationship till 2010 and then single.

And while Rhys had a few relationships he was single for most of their time apart.

A couple who were first together in 1995 have tied the knot. Picture: SWNS

She said: “I bumped into his [Rhys] Mum and sister in a shop in Leith, they gave me his number and I called him for a catchup.

“We met but I was still hurting from the previous breakup so again nothing happened and we parted ways.

“The next year I heard Rhys’s mother was in hospital with cancer - I called him to pass on my condolences and to find out how she was doing.

“We started to date for a few months after as we were getting close again.

“But I was feeling scared about getting hurt and about us getting back together again, so I ended it, even though I had feelings for him and him.”

It wasn’t until 2015 when the childhood sweethearts finally decided to give it another go after Mairi had an accident.

She said: “We bumped into each other again and this time both of us felt the sparks fly.

“We were both single and the feeling for each other were still very much there.

“Soon after I had an accident at work and injured my knee.

“He [Rhys] was always there to make me laugh, do some shopping, make me food.

“That’s when I realised he was just what I had always wanted and never really stopped loving him.

“He says I was always the love of his life.”

“The next year we got engaged - it just felt right.

“On March 25th, 2017 we got married in the Thomas Morton Hall in Leith, Edinburgh.

“We wanted to get married on my late mothers birthday which was March 24 but couldn’t get that date, so we went for the day after.

“My mum and Rhys’s late father sadly both died and weren’t there.

“In my eyes, I have married a very good one, we got there in the end.