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GH meets four women who discovered you don’t have to be young to have an adventure
‘I finally found “the one” as I was retiring!’
Having been happily single for most of her life, Lynne Elsworth, 65, couldn’t say no to love when she eventually found it.
Before I met Steve, I’d always been single and independent.
I had never pictured finding someone, let alone marrying them. I was happy with my life as it was – I didn’t feel like I needed anyone to make it better.
I had plenty of wonderful friends and family. I was 61, living in Wimbledon with my sister – who’s also my best friend – and I had a successful career in the civil service. I hadn’t dated for 20 years. I wasn’t interested in looking for love – I felt fulfilled with my life as it was. But in 2019, a happily married friend, Julie, persuaded me to have a change of heart and give dating a go.
So I downloaded a few dating apps. Setting up my profile, I picked some photos of myself and wrote about my interests. I felt vulnerable putting myself out there. It was nerve-racking.
I did get a few matches and I started going on dates. Ahead of each one, Julie would help me decide what to wear. Afterwards, I’d phone Julie to fill her in. Usually, we’d burst into fits of laughter, giggling about how terribly the dates had gone.
As the year was drawing to a close, I had one date planned for December, and I decided it would be the last.
I had retired from work and wanted to spend more time with my friends. Dating was taking up too much time and was stressful.
The man I was meeting was Steve Elsworth. We met in a coffee shop in London and, to my surprise, I was instantly drawn to him. Steve was tall, handsome and had a great sense of humour. He was in his 60s, divorced and about to retire himself.
Steve was Australian and visiting the UK. We had plenty in common – I love walking, and he’d just completed the Camino de Santiago trek in Spain. The hours flew by, so we left the coffee shop and grabbed dinner nearby. When I checked my phone, Julie had texted: ‘You’re quiet. You must be having fun!’ She was right – I was having the most fun I’d ever had on a date. I asked Steve on a second date the following day.
I wasn’t sure whether a long-distance relationship could work, so when Steve invited me to Australia with him in February 2020, I decided I had nothing to lose. I’d retired, after all. Little did we know that a pandemic was on the horizon and the country would be locked down. We couldn’t get back into the UK. So, our trip turned into a year-long stay. My life was changing in a way that I’d never expected, but I was falling for Steve quickly. Our time in Australia also meant I could get to know Steve’s
