How we met: "We drank three pints of beer from a frisbee and got really sick together"

When Grace joined her college frisbee team in 2012, she was looking to have a little fun. "I've never been athletic, but I had friends who did and I ended up really enjoying it," she says. In September, a few months after joining the team, she helped recruit freshmen. She soon met Lawrence, who signed up - "to be polite". "I ended up having a fantastic time," he admits. They had a chat during the first practice session and Lawrence was immediately smitten with Grace. "I told my friend she was the most attractive woman I had ever seen in my life," he said.

Unfortunately, Grace n didn't feel the same romantic spark. "I was pretty insecure at the time and young for my age," she says. "I was always dating boys who weren't committing. I don't think I would have noticed such a nice guy."

The couple bonded at their first social team, and have become good friends. “For induction, you had to watch at least two Die Hard movies back to back; it was very cheesy,” she laughs. “You then drank three pints of a Frisbee. We got very sick together. They soon began dating regularly, but Grace was still unaware of Lawrence's crush on her. "He became a shoulder to cry on when the boys broke my heart," she says. Lawrence had no expectations at the time: "I just thought it would never happen, so I was happy to be friends."

The Year next he got a girlfriend and their friendship grew apart. Then, in 2014, just as Grace was leaving college, she fell ill. “I was diagnosed with a brain tumour,” she says. "I suddenly had to leave and undergo surgery and radiation therapy." During this time, she exchanged a few texts with Lawrence. "I was trying to be supportive," he says. "From time to time we would play Scrabble online and chat."

Grace continued to struggle with her health. In 2017, she underwent two major bowel surgeries and struggled to transition into adult life. “I had to live at home with my parents. I felt like I had regressed,” she says. She turned to blogging and social media as an outlet, and eventually moved on just before the pandemic.

Early this year, she was scrolling through her Instagram account, when she noticed that Lawrence had followed her. "I didn't realize he unfollowed me, so I humorously messaged him about it," she says. Once they reconnected, they started chatting all the time. "I thought he was gorgeous and wondered how I had never realized that before," Grace says. They quickly became flirtatious and arranged to meet in Hastings, where Grace lived. "Lawrence lives in the Midlands, but we knew as soon as we met again that was it." They now spend weekends together and plan to move to Brighton. "We were so close all those years ago and we feel like we have a past," Grace says. "It's like we met the right person at the wrong time and now we have this second chance later in life."

Grace still has health issues , but his condition is stable. "I get dizzy easily and can't stand for long periods of time, but I've learned to live with it," she says. “I had always seen my disease as something that I had to manage alone or with my family until I was with Lawrence. He's incredibly nice and helps boost my confidence. I know I can always count on him."

Lawrence loves his partner's positivity. "Everyone knows her and she always wants to connect with people", he said. "Coming together was so unexpected, but it makes sense and feels good. I'm not sure we would have worked 10 years ago, but we've been blessed to grow and become the people that we are now."

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