Love through the pages

Couple who met via The Voice celebrate 20 years of marriage

Trudy Simpson, Voice Writer

A COUPLE who met via The Voice's Heart 2 Heart pages are now celebrating 20 years of marriage.

Junior and Marcella Bailey, from east London, celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary recently. They married on April 13, 1991 after meeting through The Voice's romance pages in May 1989.

"I can't believe it (the years) has gone so quickly ... It's stood the test of time," said Marcella, who was working as a health and safety executive when she answered Junior's personal advertisement.

Junior, who was a BT telecommunications engineer and a part-time musician, said he decided to place the ad because he was always travelling the world due to his music, and "I have always got The Voice newspaper, and I have always looked at the Heart 2 Heart section. I thought 'let's just see what happens" and I put an ad in there."

Marcella, who was answering a personal advert for the first time, was thinking the same thing. "I dated a bit. I had my own property, I had a reasonably good job and I felt I wanted to settle down and meet someone with some substance. You meet people in nightclubs and sometimes it's more frivolous, so I thought Heart 2 Heart seemed like an ideal way. I said 'let's see what happens'."

Marcella said she chose to respond to Junior's personal advert because "he just seemed very sincere".

letter stood out

Junior said he chose Marcella because her letter stood out from the responses he received. With a laugh, he added that she also looked 'quite cute' in her attached photo. "I contacted her and we met, and we decided to meet again, and that's history," he said.

Two years later, he and Marcella tied the knot at Chingford Old Church in front of family and friends, with The Voice on hand to snap the newly married couple.

In the 20 years since then, the couple have deepened their love. They have a daughter, aged 16, and a 15-year-old son, and have set up a music-related business called Irie Steel Pan Workshops in Leyton, east London.

"I think it brought us closer together that we shared something that he was interested in and that I could be part of," Marcella said.

Junior said, despite 20 years, he can still remember the first moment he met Marcella in Whipps Cross in London - and she jumped into his car. "I can remember it like it was yesterday."

Honest

Junior said his love for Marcella has grown over the 20 years because of who she is. "(She is) very businesslike, very honest. When you've met that person, you just know. You just meet that person and know that's the one."

Marcella said her love has increased as she values things such as Junior's steadiness. "Junior's very honest and trustworthy, and I think those are important qualities. He's very dependable, and you just feel at ease with someone like that."

celebratory party

Marcella and Junior, who urge others to try Heart 2 Heart, are planning a celebratory party in September to mark their anniversary and Marcella's 50th birthday.

The couple said their marriage has remained strong because of their shared values, similar interests, investment in each other's passions and their ability to compromise, work together and have fun. They said other tips for a good marriage include not rushing into marriage, having your own as well as couple time, having a good work/life balance, and giving yourself time as a couple before having children.

"It's give and take," Junior said. Marcella added: "We both want the same kind of thing, which is important ... I think also being fairly straightforward and also wanting to have the best, and being fairly steady ... working hard and wanting to do the best for your family."