Online Dating - EliteSingles Success Story

Six months ago, if you had told Shirley that she was engaged to be married she probably wouldn’t have believed you. She’d been single for almost 5 years and thought it was too late to find a partner. But when her mother passed away from cancer she felt lost without her friendship, and decided it was time to take fate into her own hands. That’s when Shirley registered with EliteSingles.

Taking a chance pays quick dividends

Joining an online dating site wasn’t an easy decision. Shirley, who works at Glasgow International Airport, reflects, ‘I thought about it a lot but thought it was too late for me to find Mr Right at this time in my life. However, I decided to give it a try or be alone for the rest of my life!’

But it didn’t take long for the decision to pay off. Shirley was on the site for just one week before she spotted the profile of Malcolm, a semi-retired property developer, who was a ‘Have You Met…’ contact. Uncharacteristically, Shirley decided to make the first move! ‘I loved Malcolm’s profile. He seemed to like all the same things I did. We had both travelled a lot and both loved the sea… it was clear from our first couple of emails that I had found someone special.’

Date with destiny

But things didn’t happen immediately. The day Shirley made contact with Malcolm he was at Manchester airport waiting for a flight to Cyprus, where he spends the majority of his time when he’s not working. He promised that if she was patient, they would meet up when he returned to England. ‘No problem I said – heck, I had waited 5 years to meet someone, what was another few weeks?’ So for six weeks the pair emailed back and forth, and it confirmed their strong connection. Despite this, when the day finally arrived Shirley was filled with nerves and apprehension. ‘I was a nervous wreck before meeting him… we both felt that we were in love with each other just from our emails, but realised it could all be shattered if we didn’t feel the same way when we met.’

As it turns out, there was nothing to be concerned about. ‘It was a little strange at first, but as soon as we started chatting, it was obvious that we really liked each other. He had brought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers and ordered champagne for our first meeting! We then spent the week going away for days all over Scotland… Dunoon, Helensburgh, Largs, Loch Lomond. Our feelings just kept getting stronger each day we met up.’

It’s a match!

Malcolm seemed to be taken with Shirley from the get go, describing her as ‘the most warm-hearted , wonderful & gorgeous young lady that I could ever have imagined existed’. Looking back, Shirley remembers how fast it all seemed, ‘Malcolm decided we were meant to be together within about 2 weeks of us emailing. It just took me a little bit longer to believe that it could be real.’ As it turns out, Malcolm was right. The pair got engaged within 6 weeks of their first meeting. Malcolm remarks at how a chance match led him to Shirley, ‘To find my soul mate was just astounding’.

As for other singles looking for love, Shirley insists that it’s a matter of perseverance, ‘Don’t give up! No matter what age you are, or how difficult your life has been. There is someone out there just looking for you!’

For Shirley and Malcolm, though, the search is over; they plan to get married next New Year’s Eve, and one day live in a home overlooking the ocean.

For a lady who had all but given up on love, that’s quite a sea change.