Bristol couple share secrets of their 70-year marriage

Doreen and Brian Lealan got married when Mr Lealan was on leave from the army

A couple celebrating their platinum anniversary on Valentine's Day have shared their tips for a long marriage.

Doreen, 88, and Brian Lealan, 91, from Coalpit Heath in Bristol, married in 1953 while Brian was on sick leave from the Army.

After 70 years of marriage, the couple are very much still in love.

Mr Lealan said that their secret to making their relationship work was all about giving and taking.

Mr and Mrs Lealan hastily organised their wedding when Mr Lealan was called for National service

"If you have an argument, you walk away from it and tomorrow's another day," added Mrs Lealan.

"You don't bear a grudge, otherwise you'd never sort yourself out."

The couple said their love of ballroom dancing brought them together when they first met and they hastily organised the wedding when Mr Lealan was called up for National Service.

"The biggest thing that I remember about Doreen was that we could go to a dance together and dance the quickstep, foxtrot and those sort of things," said Mr Lealan.

"I think he was quite shy because I didn't say a lot to him at the time," said Mrs Lealan.

Their family gathered together for their anniversary celebration

It was not planned to be a Valentine's Day wedding, but they overcame illness, post-war rationing and even snow to make the day happen.

Mrs Lealan said: "Being just after the war, things were still on ration. So we'd been saving our coupons to buy different things and had been keeping stacks of tinned fruit and things like that.

"And we pulled it off, just about.

"And then it was postponed because he wasn't well enough to leave hospital to travel and it was postponed for a week and it turned out that we've got married on the 14th instead," added Mrs Lealan.

Mr and Mrs Lealan are happily married with children and grandchildren