Southernbella.
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And she only had to die to get it.
Bride who proposed to partner daily for 14 years finally gets 'yes' as her dying wish
Cleo Campbell and Keith Seddon were married in an emotional and hastily-arranged hospice wedding.
Bride who proposed to partner daily for 14 years finally gets 'yes' as her dying wish
Cleo Campbell and Keith Seddon were married in an emotional and hastily-arranged hospice wedding.
- The couple have been together for 18 years, and Cleo had originally proposed in 2004 – their first leap yeartogether.
After Keith turned her down, she proposed every day – sometimes on a letter or inside a card – and sometimes even on the end of a shopping list.
But Keith still stood his ground – until the hospice, where Cleo is being treated for terminal lung disease, began arranging the wedding.
By the time he found out, he had to agree it was finally time to make an honest woman of his soul mate.
Cleo, 50, says: “I kept on and on asking Keith to marry me, but he just didn’t fancy it. He said he didn’t see the point of marriage and he didn’t like being the centre of attention.
“But after I was admitted to the hospice, I told the staff it was my dying wish to marry Keith and they started making arrangements – before I even had chance to ask him.
“I had to ring him quickly and this time – after hundreds and thousands of proposals – he said yes.
“I am so glad I finally have the man of my dreams. Life has been cruel to me in some ways but now, I feel like the luckiest woman in the world.”
Cleo and Keith, 42, first met in 1988, when Keith was an 18-year-old postman.
He says: “I was on my rounds and I noticed Cleo doing handstands in her garden and I really fancied her. We got chatting and got on really well.”
But Cleo was eight years older, with a toddler daughter, and she felt the age gap was too big.
She says: “I knew Keith was the man for me – I had no doubt. But I also knew he was far too young and he needed to enjoy life.
"So I refused to go out with him and I told him to forget about me.
“Deep down, I knew we’d be together one day – just not yet.”
Cleo moved away and had a baby son. Keith had other relationships too.
But three years on, they bumped into each other on the bus – and this time, Cleo felt the time was right.
She says: “Keith was 21 by now and he had grown up a lot. We started dating and moved in together and we were blissfully happy.
"He was a fabulous step-dad to my two children, Sarah and Tommi. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner or dad.
“Funny, when we first met, Keith told me he would never have kids or pets or get married. He ended up with two kids, 11 cats – and a wife.”
In 2004, on their first leap year together, Cleo proposed in a Chinese restaurant.
Keith agreed to get engaged – but said he did not want to get married, because he didn’t like all the fuss and attention.
Cleo says: “It didn’t put me off. I proposed to him practically every day, sometimes I would do a straight proposal, sometimes
"I would write it on a note or inside a birthday card. Sometimes, I’d leave him a shopping list with ‘When are you going to marry me?’ at the end.
“But he would never set a date.”
Over Christmas 2008, Cleo picked up a nasty chest infection which refused to clear and tests showed she was suffering with lung disease – very rare in a young person.
She says: “I was very ill for a while, but I got back on my feet.
“I was warned my condition was life-limiting but I didn’t dwell on it – I worked full time and I brought the kids up and we were very happy.
“I kept on with my proposals – even as I was being loaded in an ambulance, I would say: ‘Marry me, Keith, I don’t want to die single!’ and all the paramedics would try and persuade him.
“His mum, Rosaline, was desperate for us to marry too – she was always on his case. We went to loads of family weddings and it made me long to be a bride – but it had the opposite effect on Keith.”
In September, Cleo’s health deteriorated and she was admitted to Bolton Hospice in Lancashire.
She says: “One of the night staff asked me what I wanted most in the world and I said it was to get married.
"She told me she could arrange it and I didn’t really think she was serious.
"But the next morning, the staff were coming in, asking me what type of dress and flowers I would like, and I realised in a panic that I had better ask Keith.
“I rang him up, and said: ‘Listen babe, will you marry me?’ and he replied: ‘I do think it’s about time- yes.’
Hospice staff began sourcing flowers, make up and nail artists, party food, balloons – and even Cleo’s favourite rainbow roses – flown in from Holland.
The couple were married in front of 30 close family and friends in October.
Despite her condition, Cleo insisted on walking down the aisle, with Keith’s step-dad, Philip, giving her away, and her daughter, Sarah, as bridesmaid.
Cleo says: “It was the most romantic moment of my entire life. I had the best day ever. Everyone was crying but for me, they were tears of happiness.
“After 18 years of trying, I finally have the man of my dreams.”
Keith says: “I wasn’t half as nervous as I’d expected. Really, if I had known getting married would be so enjoyable I would have done it years ago.”
Source: Heartbreaking reason man finally accepts bride's wedding proposal after 14 years
No really 
pun intended.
