Love actually

Where would we be without it? It’s the glue that binds us together – husbands and wives, mothers and children – and gives meaning to our lives. We asked some of our favourite celebs what love means to them, starting with our gorgeous cover star.

(…)

KIM WILDE

The singer and Magic radio DJ reveals how her whirlwind romance has lasted 16 years – and how they still have as much fun as ever!

From our first date I knew my husband, Hal, was the one. We met when we were both performing at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London. I was 36 and I’d had several relationships, but I’d never felt so 100% about anything before. He was the person I’d been looking for all my life. And it wasn’t just me, we both felt it very strongly. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind – it was love at first sight.

We got married within six months of meeting. I hear about people who’ve started out slower – in friendships that turn into relationships and I think that’s lovely. But, for me, the speed of it all was so exciting. There was a certain amount of scepticism that it was all a bit flash in the pan. I remember a news piece at the time saying: “Let’s hope this one lasts”, but it didn’t really impact on us. We were very deeply in love. And 16 years later we’ve been proved right.

That’s not to say we got married and it was all happy-ever-after. There’s a lot of work involved in keeping our marriage going. But with a strong foundation, no matter what gets thrown at you, you can survive. I didn’t go into this relationship looking for him to complete me or to solve all my problems. I just loved him and that’s a good place to start. With our kids, Rose, 12, and Harry, 14, we’ve found out that you have to be on the same page with parenting. You have to have a plan and stick to it. We learnt that the hard way!

We still love spening time together. Recently we went to buy a new bedding set and had such a laugh, and that says a lot. If you can have fun doing mundane things, then you’re on to a good thing!