WHAT'S THE BEST AGE TO FALL IN LOVE?

Apparently, 27 is the magic age most of us meet our soulmate. But these three women prove that love can conquer at any stage of life

- MISHAAL KHAN

‘We’re lucky to have avoided heartbreak’

Abigail Freeman, 27, a freelance TV assistant producer, lives in Baldock with her husband David, 27. 

Spying my crush David across the school canteen, I felt myself blushing. We were both 12 and David had a Justin Bieber style mop of hair and was so friendly and popular. We got along well and when he asked me to be his girlfriend in May 2011, I felt giddy with excitement.

At school, we walked around holding hands. At lunchtime, I would sit on the edge of the football pitch with my friends, watching him play. He made me feel special, buying me cuddly toys and sending sweet messages after school. By the time I was 14, I knew it wasn't just an infatuation and sent him a text telling him I loved him. To my delight, he replied saying he loved me too. I was convinced David was my soulmate.

Years passed and we remained stronger than ever. Even when he went to Birmingham University and I was in Leeds that didn't stop us, and we made an effort to see each other every three weeks. Of course, there were naysayers. 'It's young love!' one relative said, convinced that one day the butterflies would subside and we'd go our separate ways. But I just seemed to love David more and more as time went on. After we graduated in 2019, we moved in together, ready to start the next chapter of our lives. Then in October 2022, David proposed in the grounds of Hever Castle and, earlier this month, we got married. I wore a big princess dress and David looked handsome in a morning suit - it was just perfect.