Edna and Simon prove age-gap critics wrong

And today, after more than seven years of marriage to Simon, she says they are as happy as ever and have just renewed their vows to prove it.

Simon, from Cradley Heath, is 38 and Edna is 77. But, speaking on Valentine's Day, the couple say age has never been a barrier.

They say they are happy to have disproved cynics who presumed their relationship would never last.

But they today admitted that their relationship still causes problems with some friends and family, including Simon's parents Eric and Gillian, who still live in Cradley Heath and who haven't spoken to the couple in some time.

"I'm quite happy to tell people where they can go if they think what we have done is wrong, because it means they have missed the whole point of why we are together – love has no barriers," said Edna, who had been divorced from her husband of 37 years when she met Simon.

"There is someone out there for everyone. You don't need to look for that person. I was quite happy living on my own, but then we met Simon and it was love at first sight.

"Look at us now – sat on the settee together holding hands while we watch TV, we are very much in love.

"We are watching one of our favourite TV shows – Waiting for God, with Stephanie Cole, who I model myself on."

Edna had four children with her first husband, including a daughter called Wilma, who died aged 13 from Wilson's disease.

Their marriage in 2005 made national headlines because of the age difference. She was portrayed as a predatory granny, while Simon was depicted as a naive young man with learning difficulties.

Simon was a bit of a loner who had never had a girlfriend and still lived with his parents. He suffers from dyslexia, dyspraxia and aspergers syndrome, a form of autism which makes social relationships and communication difficult, and has hearing, sight and kidney problems.

Edna said: "Our relationship has mainly been tough because both of us have disabilities. However, we understand each other's problems and learn to cope with them, which can be a challenge for anyone.

"It has been hard at times but the upside of it is that we love each other, more than ever."

The couple first met in 2003 at an organ concert at the Odeon in Weston-super-Mare, the seaside town where they now live. Edna said they have a wide circle of friends and have cinema and theatre events at their house, adding: "Simon can't add seven and four or tie a knot or a bow, but he can play the organ like a dream."

Edna said their love for organ music brought them together and they still enjoy listening to the old cinema tunes.

"When we met I was on my own and quite content, up to a point – but I have a need to love and care for someone. Simon satisfies that need in me," she says.

"Neither of us are typical of our generation, our class or our upbringing but we are the love of each other's lives."

Young-at-heart Edna says when she was a young girl she pretended to be a boy so she could get onto a mechanical engineering course at a college. "Simon is good on advising people how to make and mend things and they are always calling him up for advice," she says.

"We are a good team because I like to maintain the organs and look after them and Simon is excellent at playing them.

"He is very naughty, sexy and funny – my life has been amazing since I met him."

Simon regrets that his parents don't understand the relationship. He says: "They have made efforts – they even let us stay in their caravan in Cornwall as a honeymoon."

He adds: "We just work on a day-to-day basis and don't worry about the future as it takes up the valuable time we have together now."