How I met my partner: A love born at a christening has grown over 18 years

Their love tried and tested, through sickness and health, James and Laura Long have shared 18 years together, since meeting at a christening in 2004.

James and Laura have overcome a cancer diagnosis while living abroad, but the real test in their relationship came early, when James took three days to text after their first date, something he still hears about today.

James described the day he met Laura. 

“The first time I crossed paths with Laura was September 2004, at my cousin’s child’s christening and little did I know that my life would change for the better from that day. 

"To be perfectly honest, I was living my best life and not looking for a girlfriend, but was instantly attracted to this blonde that was chatting to my cousin, and immediately made a beeline to him, ‘Who’s that!? How come you never introduced us before?’”

Laura said it all kicked off in Redz nightclub after the christening. “We all went to Redz after the christening, and we danced for a bit and afterwards he kissed me on Daunt’s Square.” James said: “It felt like we had known each other for years; we exchanged numbers, but I was wrongly advised not to seem too keen. Oh my! How wrong was that? I’m still hearing about not texting for three days to this day!”

Laura said she thought she had been given the snub. 

“I really thought we clicked, and it just felt right, so I knew this could develop into something. But when I didn’t hear from him for three days, I was thinking, ‘here we go, what a waste of time’. But three days later I got a text and we have been together since. He later told me he was trying to play it cool by using the three-day rule.”

After college, Laura wanted to travel and the pair moved to London. 

Laura said: “I always had a plan to move away after college and told him that I was going to London, whether he wanted to or not. He was up for it, and we ended up there for 10 years. I think that’s one of the things I love about him. He is up for anything, and we are always planning our next adventure.”

James said it made sense to leave Ireland. 

“When we graduated from college, the economy had just gone belly-up and we found it difficult to find jobs in areas we studied, so we decided to take a risk and move to London, which was one of the best decisions we made. It helped us grow up fast and made us stronger than ever.”

In London, Laura was diagnosed with cancer. “This was the scariest time of our lives, but we were so lucky to be in the hands of the NHS and after six months of treatment, Laura was given the all-clear,” James said. 

“My admiration for Laura’s positive attitude and sheer determination to beat this disease will never be topped. The following year we were engaged and never looked back. Funny how a horrible situation can bring people closer than ever.”

Laura said: “We’ve been together almost 18 years and during that time we’ve lived away, travelled as much as we can, been through a cancer diagnosis, been married and moved home.” 

James said: “I’ve turned 36 this year and I have been with Laura half my life. We have grown from babies to a happily married couple, and even though we had our ups and downs, I wouldn’t change any of it.”