Catie, 37, and Delia, 36, met in 2013 when they were trainee solicitors. They quickly became best friends

Meenakshi, 61, and Sankar, 64, met in the 1980s in Chennai and were already talking about marriage before their second date. They now live together in New Zealand

Joanna, 52, and Julie, 49, met on a school exchange trip in 1989, then lost touch. An early email directory brought them back together and led to some of the best times of their lives

Pip, 55, and Steve, 53, met through a Facebook dating group for people with hereditary spastic paraplegia. Despite living on opposite sides of the Atlantic, they fell in love

Frances and Laine, both 39, met while working at a primary school in New Jersey in 2009. They did not immediately hit it off

When Mark, 67, and Loretta, 64, met playing golf, neither was expecting to fall in love. They live in Nottingham and spend as much time as possible together

Alex and Jules, both 50, met as neighbours in Leigh-on-Sea. Then Jules was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. It led to a surprising decade of sporting adventures

Jos, 64, and Bjørn, 47, were introduced by a mutual friend in 2011. They’ve supported each other through mental health trauma and are now happily settled near Amsterdam

Jane, 60, and Kristi, 53, met on a trip to Scotland in 2012. They live on different continents, but visit one another every year

Rasika, 29 and Varad, 27, met while working for an NGO in rural India. A health crisis brought them closer together and they now live together in Oxford, UK

Joanna and Sarah, both 28, were strangers when they decided to live together while studying abroad in Paris, but they bonded over a series of housing disasters

Philippa, 32, and Jack, 30, met at a post-election party in 2019. They plan to marry in September and move to Spain

Comedian Julian Clary and singer-songwriter Barb Jungr met in 1985 on the same cabaret bill. Friends ever since, they have performed together and speak nightly on the phone, having helped each other through bereavement

Anna, 36, and Les, 32, met in Kyiv in 2016. Now based in Vienna, they hope to return to Ukraine

Steve, 65, and Lisa, 67, met in the mid-90s on an early online messaging system while on opposite sides of the Atlantic. They now live together near Cambridge

Bart, 61 and Alicia, 56, became friends as students in Washington DC in the 1980s. A chance encounter in the 1990s led to a life-changing bond

Rachael, 40, and Bethany, 38, bonded over their love of a TV show, not imagining this would lead to a romantic relationship. They now live together in Norfolk

Hannah, 41, and Izzy, 42, met in a nightclub before starting the same college course in the 90s. They both live in Suffolk and remain friends and soulmates two decades later

Sarah, 66, and Chris, 70, met 10 years ago when she worked for him as an architect. They now live together in Suffolk, in the home she designed for him