Couple with 40-year age gap prove haters wrong and celebrate 17 years of marriage: 'Love is love'

Edna and Simon Martin met at a concert when she was 69 and he was 31. Despite their 40-year age gap, the two say it was 'love at first sight'.

They haven’t been able to keep their hands off each other ever since.

The couple wed on July 8, 2005 and recently celebrated their 17th anniversary by dining at a local fish and chip restaurant.

They marked the occasion with Edna, now 87 and a grandmother-of-four, buying Simon, now 47, a torque bracelet and Simon giving Edna some earrings with crystals.

The pair from Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, admitted that they used to get strange looks and comments from their local community, but now everyone accepts their relationship.

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“We have actually inspired other people in age-gap relationships to take the next step and get married,” Simon says.

“Love is love and everyone should ignore what anyone else says.”

They said they owe their successful marriage to treating each other with affection and going out on adventures every day.

“We still go out together and walk hand-in-hand on our wheelers because we both struggle with our mobility,” Simon explains.

“We are still very much in love and keep our relationship alive through our little adventures,” Edna gushes.

Read more: 57 Celebrity Couples Who Make It Work Despite Huge Age Gaps

Before moving in together, Simon, who had never had a girlfriend before, lived in Birmingham.

They attempted a long-distance relationship but couldn't bare to be apart, so Simon moved in just a few weeks later.

Simon explained that his family took some time to adjust to the age gap but as soon as they saw how happy their son was, they didn't care.

And Edna's family have always been supportive.

"My daughter made our wedding cake and my son gave me away,” Edna recalls. "[My son] said at the wedding reception, 'I've been wanting to give my mother away all my life and this is the day for it.’”

The pair never shy away from public displays of affection and find it hard to keep their hands off each other.

"When you love each other as much as Simon and I, it's reasonably impossible to keep your hands off each other - let alone other bits of your anatomy,” Edna laughs.

Read more: Age is just a number! These celebrity couples have BIG age gaps

"It's really wonderful that we can express our love publicly - not for other people, but for ourselves,” Simon shares.

"It's very rare to see a couple of any age giving each other a loving peck or showing their affection."