Martin & Gloria, 54 & 52
Martin was unexpectedly widowed and having been married for almost 30 years, he felt lost and alone, not sure what to do with himself.
"I went from being a friendly, out-going guy to a total recluse.
The lowest point came when I realised I hadn't been out for two weeks and I had absolutely no food in the house."
After months of grieving, Martin decided he needed to get out of the house
and agreed to go for a round of golf with his close friend Alan, who was recently divorced.
"Alan had heard about DoubleDateFirst and wanted us to join. He said it would be fun because we'd be teaming up together. I was sceptical at first as I'd been out of the dating game for so long but I agreed to set up a profile with him."
Within 2 weeks, Martin and Alan had found Gloria and Jeanette. After a month of getting to know each other online, they all decided to meet.
"Our first date was great with all four of us getting on really well. We met for 3 Friday nights in a row before I asked Gloria to the cinema without Alan and Jeanette. Three months on and Gloria and I are moving in together and looking forward to the future."
Helen and Gary, 36 & 41
When Helen agreed to join DoubleDateFirst, she was hoping for some grown up conversation without having to leave the house.
As a single mother who worked nights, Helen had accepted that her social life was on hold for a few years. Despite loving her sons more than anything, Helen missed intelligent conversation that didn't involve Transformers!
When her friend Laura, also a single mum, admitted to feeling the same, they decided to join the site and find some new friends.
"Laura and I started talking to a few people who shared the same interests as us and pretty soon, there were eight of us sending messages and chatting with each other. It was a fantastic way to have social interaction without leaving the boys"
Just a few weeks later, Helen and Laura received a wink from John and Gary. For the first time, Helen wondered if the site could give her more than just companionship.
"A month after John and Gary first winked at us, we plucked up the courage to go and meet them at a local pub. Within moments I knew Gary was going to more than just a friend."
A single parent himself, Gary understood Helen's situation and they began dating.
"Single parents don't have to put their lives on hold forever. I never thought for one moment I could be this happy but Gary and his children have completed our family and it's all thanks to DoubleDateFirst."
Holly and Jason, 29 & 33 & Lucy and Paul, 30 & 34
Jason had been single for a year and decided that his New Years Resolution would be to settle down and find his perfect partner.
"I've never been what you might call a ‘lady's man' so the option of having Paul with me on a date gave me some much needed confidence."
They joined on the Sunday, and later that evening Paul and Jason came across Holly and Lucy's profile and were blown away. They seemed to be perfect, and were also online, so Paul and Jason contacted them via instant chat.
"I never thought they would be interested in us but we were chatting for over three hours that first night."
"Both Paul and I found ourselves rushing home from work just to talk to the girls and that continued all week."
Having spent hours chatting every evening, the two pairs decided to meet for the first time and have dinner.
"We were the last people in the restaurant but we couldn't stop talking. We arranged to meet the girls again the next day and by Sunday, Holly and I were dating and so were Paul and Lucy. We couldn't be happier and Friday night is now our curry night!"
Chloe and Richard 43 & 47.
After seeing her brother find love through DoubleDateFirst, Chloe decided she give it a go. The hardest decision was which of her best friends to join with (Chloe later found out she could join with both, so she did, saving herself a tricky decision!)
Soon after registering on the site, Chloe and her friend Jenny saw a profile they thought looked promising. Like her, Richard had been badly hurt but didn't want to spend the rest of his life alone.
"We are both young, fun-loving people who want to live life to the full and not waste a single second."
Chloe loved Richard's outlook and so they arranged to meet three weeks after sending their first wink.
"My friend Jenny was stunned at the chemistry between us and told me I'd be mad to let him go, so I didn't! Jenny became good friends with Richard's friend Clive so we met up every weekend for the next month."
Within four months, Chloe and Richard were engaged to be married and are busy planning their wedding.
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