Fate finds way to bring duo together

Dammon and Jennie Paul found love at the ice rink. Photo / Stephen Parker

Jennie Paul can't help but believe in fate - it's the only explanation she has for finding her true love years after they'd lost touch.

She met her now husband, Dammon, at an ice rink in Auckland when they were just teenagers but an age gap - he was 19, she was only 14 - kept them from being anything more than friends.

A couple of years later Mr Paul moved to Australia, and while they wrote every week for a few years a jealous boyfriend demanded Mr Paul steer clear and they lost touch.

Fast forward 10 years and Mrs Paul was on a blind date at an ice rink when she discovered her lost love standing there.

"I was in total disbelief."

The blind date never stood a chance, and within weeks the pair were seeing each other and were engaged after a year and expecting their first child.

Today they'll wish each other a happy Valentine's Day, celebrating tomorrow with a rare night out without the kids.

For Mrs Paul it's been a love story that she can only describe as one which was meant to be. Mrs Paul said even though they weren't in a relationship before he went to Australia, nobody ever came close to him.

"I never stopped thinking about him."

Mrs Paul said the best traits of her husband was that he was driven and motivated, and always thought about her.

Mr and Mrs Paul are now working together on bringing a synthetic and permanent ice rink into Rotorua.

"Ice skating has been not only our passion, but what brought us together on both occasions."

She said the key to their relationship was communication and being able to talk about anything. The other piece of advice, handed down to her from her grandmother, was never to go to bed on an argument.