Couple celebrating 70th Valentine's Day together share secret to lasting love

A couple celebrating their 70th Valentine’s Day together have said that “honesty and space” is the secret to lasting love.

Jean and Leslie Cruickshank, 92 and 93, met in 1953 while working together at Aberdeen City Council – and after 69 years of marriage, now both reside in Care UK’s Lauder Lodge in Edinburgh.

Staff at the home arranged a very special Valentine’s date for the couple, where they dressed to their best and enjoyed champagne, cocktails, and canapés in a dining room filled with heart-shaped balloons.

They were then encouraged to reveal their secrets to a long and happy marriage.

“Honesty, happiness in your own heart, and to know it’s the right person”, they said.

It was “love at first sight” for Leslie, and he invited Jean for a night of dancing at the Beach Ballroom on Union Street in Aberdeen for their first date.

Jean added: “I thought he was lovely, but I was not ready to settle down!”

However, three years later, in 1956, Jean and Leslie got married in the North Church in Aberdeen in an intimate ceremony surrounded by their nearest and dearest.

Together, they have one daughter, Ann, and two sons, Leslie and Bryan. They now have five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Jean said the secret to a long and happy marriage is “to respect each other as individuals and give each other space and time.”

Leslie, who was a doctor at his local GP, added: “You have to be very careful in case you make a mistake. One has to be sure, absolutely sure. It develops, and it gets better and better. It’s an inner feeling that just can’t be described.”

Anees Riaz, home manager at Lauder Lodge, said: “Jean and Leslie are such a wonderful couple who are madly in love with each other – it’s a delight to see their faces light up when they talk about each other or when the other walks into the room.

“Here at Lauder Lodge, love is certainly in the air, and it’s been wonderful to encourage so many of the residents to reminisce and share fond memories from their own marriages and relationships. Many wise words were shared that have certainly given us food for thought.

“We’d like to say a big thank you to Jean and Leslie for sharing their stories, and their invaluable relationship advice!”