OUR LOVE HAS GONE THE DISTANCE

Fiona Tapp, 44, wouldn't let 3,242 miles stand between her and her soulmate

-  KERRY HARDEN

Arms raised in the air, I swayed in time to the music, enjoying the buzzing atmosphere. It was August 2003 and me and my uni friends were on holiday in Cuba, celebrating the end of our exams.

As we laughed away, I caught the eye of a sexy stranger. He was 6ft tall with a cute quiff, and wearing basketball trainers. I’d spotted him earlier that day by the pool and thought he was handsome. And now, as our eyes locked, I fancied him even more.

‘I want to kiss him,’ I giggled to my friends. I hadn’t meant to speak so loudly, but he suddenly smiled and introduced himself. ‘I’m Justin,’ he said with a sexy Canadian drawl.

Later we chatted on the beach, and he made me laugh with silly jokes. The next day, there was a knock at my hotel door and I was surprised to see Justin standing there. ‘I just wanted to see you,’ he said. ‘Your friends gave me your room number.’

For the rest of the holiday, we were inseparable, and we shared our first kiss huddled on a sun lounger when it started to rain during a beach party.