Inside Maureen Lipman's epic plans for 'big and unexpected wedding' after finding love at 78

The Coronation Street prima tells however she met her fiancé David decades earlier - but helium ne'er asked her for a 2nd dance

Maureen Lipman has revealed that her fiancé is simply a antheral she erstwhile danced with successful her 20s – who did not adjacent inquire her for a 2nd rotation astir the dancefloor.

The Coronation Street favourite says of the archetypal clip she met David Turner: “I cognize we danced together, but helium didn’t inquire maine for a 2nd dance. I conjecture we’re having it now.” The couple, some 78, met again past twelvemonth astatine a communal friend’s lunch, wherever they got chatting and Maureen aboriginal messaged him astir a poem. She says: “David told maine helium had a website astir poetry. I went connected it, and determination was 1 astir the quality spirit. It conscionable truthful happened that I was going to instrumentality portion successful an lawsuit called The Human Spirit and present a philharmonic enactment astatine it. I thought, ‘That’s a coincidence’, and I messaged David. He ended up coming to it, we went for meal with friends aft and past helium asked maine retired connected a date.

“I wrote successful my diary afterwards: ‘He turned up connected clip successful a bully cleanable car and we had a bully locomotion and went for a pub lunch. Yes, he’s precise interesting.’ We’ve spent an atrocious batch of clip since saying, ‘How did this happen?’ We can’t find the poem connected the website immoderate more, truthful possibly I was deliberately chasing him…” This summertime Maureen got down connected 1 genu to inquire concern advisor David to wed her – and helium said yes.

It each came arsenic a astonishment to Maureen, who mislaid hubby Guido Castro to crab successful 2021. Her erstwhile husband, writer Jack Rosenthal, died successful 2004. She admits: “I wasn’t truly looking for a caller relationship.” Finding herself smitten, Maureen took vantage of the Jewish festival Tu B’Av – a time erstwhile a Jewish pistillate tin inquire a antheral to wed her. She got down connected 1 genu connected a bid from Edinburgh. She says: “I prop­osed arsenic a gag arsenic I’d been alternatively against the ‘M’ word. I ne'er truly expected him to accidental yes, but to my astonishment and flimsy panic, helium said it.”

Maureen says she worries astir uncovering a venue large capable arsenic David “has astir 9,000 rel­­atives”, adding: “You can’t locomotion down the thoroughfare without him knowing someone. What’s important is that my two, and his three, grown-up kids are blessed astir it and they get on. I can’t judge I’m marrying again. I’m precise fortunate to person had 3 exceptional men successful my life. We’re enjoying this unexpected Indian summertime of precocious emotion together.”

Maureen – Corrie’s Evelyn Plummer, and Beattie from BT’s TV ads successful the 80s – is besides preparing to play Mrs Potty successful Beauty and the Beast astatine Richmond Theatre successful Surrey. She said: “I’ll see immoderate ’ology jokes, of course, and immoderate Evelyn-isms. It’s got to enactment for the kids and the adults.”

Follow Mirror Celebs on Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .