THEY are inseparable – and today Michael and Shirley Pidgley are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary.

It’s a love story which has stood the test of time and their children say they are still in the honeymoon phase.

The Hampshire couple’s romance started near Salisbury when Shirley was 15, innocently delivering a message from her friend to a 19-year-old Michael that his girlfriend was poorly.

They then walked back to the girl’s house together and the rest, says Michael, is history.

The relationship was kept secret for a while because Shirley’s father did not approve of the age gap and Michael served in the Royal Marines Commando Brigade and travelled a lot.

But in 1954, when Shirley was 17 and Michael, 21, had returned after serving for almost three years abroad, they were married on December 23 and moved to Plymouth.

After leaving the Royal Marines and briefly living in Malta, Michael returned to Plymouth and started work as a dairyman, while Shirley stayed at home looking after their five children.

Once the children had grown up the couple decided to move to Totton, where Michael briefly worked as a caretaker at Applemore College before retiring.

From the five children, the pair now has more than 40 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.

Daily Echo:

Michael and Shirley on their wedding day in 1954

Their eldest daughter, Linda Turner, 59, said: “There are more than 50 of us, it’s quite hard to keep track but it’s just incredible that they have reach 60 years of marriage.

“They have always been inseparable, they don’t go anywhere without each other and I still see my dad sitting holding my mum’s hand – I think most people wish for something like they have.”

Michael, now 81, added: “I still feel the same way about her as I did when we met all those years ago. I don’t know if there’s a secret really.”

Shirley, 76, said: “He always looks out for me and we never go to bed on an argument.”

Linda added: “We have always been a very close and loving family. My dad was very ill a few years ago and we didn’t know if this day would come, so it’s very special. We’ll be having a big family get-together for them in the spring.”