A ROMANTIC Widnes couple are to renew their wedding vows on Valentine's Day... in front of an audience of millions of TV viewers!
Helen Walsh-O'Neill, 36, and her husband Stephen, 39, of Dundalk Road, were gobsmacked after becoming one of 50 couples from across the UK who were picked to take part in a special ceremony at televised live on the big day.
Helen, who married crane driver Stephen at St Michael's Church 14 years ago could hardly believe her eyes when the official confirmation from GMTV dropped through the letterbox - she had sent off a letter to GMTV without seriously considering that they would eventually be taking part in the programme. She told the Weekly News: 'There was an advert on GMTV, but we only caught the end of it. Lorraine Kelly was saying if you want to renew your wedding vows, write to this address. In the end I just wrote that I loved Stephen and he loves me and we have two lovely girls, Rossi, five, and Ellie, one. We have had our ups and downs, but we are a very happy couple.
'Stephen would also finally like to have the opportunity to kiss the bride because the priest forgot to do that bit at our wedding and we were slightly upset.'
She added: 'I sent off the letter and before we knew it we got one back from GMTV. 'I said 'Oh, my God!' - we had been picked as one of the 50 couples who are renewing their wedding vows at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. I am trying to get into my wedding dress and I will also be wearing a green cape with it. The ceremony is taking place on Valentine's Day and we will be staying in a hotel in Oxfordshire the night before we go to the palace - the ceremony will be shown live at 8.50am. I am really looking forward to it - I still can't believe it!'
