Teenagers who became pen pals for three years after meeting on family holidays in the 90s reveal how they found each other again 30 years later - and now they're married

A couple who became pen pals after meeting on holiday at the age of 17 have revealed how they reconnected and tied the knot almost 30 years later. 

David McArdle, 48, from Newcastle, first met Jodie, 46, when he was on a family holiday to Kos, Greece, in 1994.

Towards the end of the holiday, the pair, along with ten other children from different families, decided to swap addresses and become pen pals. But three years later, David moved house and the pair lost touch. 

It wasn't until 2016 that David managed to track down Jodie's phone number and, after an agonising 15-minute wait for a reply, the pair started messaging again. 

From then on, the pair spoke every single day before eventually meeting in person again for the first time in 24 years in April 2018. 

Three years on, David, a bus driver, proposed to Jodie at the top of the London Eye and in April 2023 the pair married in front of their friends and family. 

'I couldn't believe I found her again,' David said. 

'It turns out that 15-minute wait for her reply was because she was sobbing her heart out looking at the text. She'd wanted to get in touch, but she thought I was in a relationship and she didn't want to ruffle any feathers.

A couple who became pen pals after meeting on holiday at the age of 17 have tied the knot more than 29 years later

David McArdle, 48, from Newcastle, first met Jodie, 46, when he was 17 on a family holiday to Kos, Greece, in 1994. Jodie is pictured in Kos 32 years ago

Towards the end of the holiday, the pair, along with ten other children from different families, decided to swap addresses and become pen pals. But after three years of communication, David (pictured as a youngster) moved house, and the pair lost contact

'We met 32 years ago, have been together for eight years, and have been married for three years. And we haven't looked back since.'

Recalling his first meeting with Jodie in 1994, David said:  'There were 12 of us children, all from different families. You know how kids hang out on holiday, we were all just around the pool table and we decided to swap addresses and be pen pals.

'All I remember was the top of her head going round and round in the swimming pool following me. Me and Jodie were the only ones that were still in contact after three months. And we carried on writing to each other for years.

'Just a letter every month or so - one side of A4 lined paper, catching up.'

However, in 2003 they both started relationships and moved house. The pair eventually lost contact and assumed they would never hear from each other again.

But 13 years later, after David's relationship had broken down, he spotted a surprising message on his mother's phone. 

From that moment, the two didn't stop talking.

On April 17, 2018, David drove six hours from Newcastle to Cardiff, where Jodie lived, to see her for the first time since 1994.

In 2003 they both started relationships and moved house. The pair eventually lost contact and assumed they would never hear from each other again. But 13 years later, after David's relationship had broken down, he spotted a surprising message on his mother's phone

It wasn't until 2016 that David managed to track down Jodie's phone number and, after an agonising 15-minute wait for a reply, the pair started messaging again. Three years later, David, a bus driver, proposed at the top of the London Eye and in April 2023 the pair married

The pair began a relationship in 2018 and just three years later, in 2021, David asked Jodie's father for permission to marry her, and began planning the perfect proposal

'We sat on the sofa and talked for 12 hours,' David recalled. 

'I drove back that night. The next day I phoned her and said I could visit her again in two weeks, so I did. I slept on the sofa, we were still just friends, but on my way home that time I realised I liked her.

'So I called her to tell her. I was oblivious to how she felt, but she said she'd always liked me, even when we first met in Kos. I was oblivious to everything.'

The loved-up pair began a relationship in 2018 and just three years later, in 2021, David asked Jodie's father for permission to marry her. After getting the go-ahead, he soon got to work on planning the perfect proposal.

He said: 'We went to London for her birthday weekend in October and she loved the song 'Crazy For You' by Let Loose. So I downloaded the song on my phone, and we went to the London Eye.

'I told a stranger in the queue that I was going to propose and asked if she could film it.

'When we got to the top, I gave the lady a nod to record it. I asked Jodie to take a photo of something, and then when she turned round, I was on one knee playing the song.

'I said 'I always loved you and always will, and I will protect you from this day forward until our last.' Then she just ran to me. She grabbed me and said yes.'

The pair were married in Cardiff City Hall on April 1, 2023, 29 years after they first met. They visit the island of Kos, where they met all those years ago, every August. 

'It was raining constantly in the morning, then all of a sudden, an hour before the wedding, it was like someone up above was watching down on us because the clouds just disappeared and the sun came out,' David recalled. 

'We had a honeymoon in Cornwall, a week in Lands End, we had all different kinds of weather, but it was perfect for us.'