A chance encounter sparked by a simple text message in 1998 led to over 20 years of love, laughter, and partnership for Donovan Shears and Kirsty.
In 1998, Donovan Shears sent a text message to a random number, changing the course of his life forever. He had just received his first mobile phone for his 18th birthday and was experimenting with text messaging.
Donovan made up a random number and sent off a message saying “hello”, to which his future wife Kirsty replied with “hi”. This chance encounter led to over 20 years of love, laughter, and partnership.
Out of several messages to unknown numbers that Donovan sent from the Coventry pub where he was working that night, Kirsty in Cleethorpes was the only one to reply. Four years after their initial text exchange, the couple got married in Scotland, where Kirsty is from. They now have two children, aged six and nine.
How Their Love Began
Kirsty said she replied to Donovan’s message thinking it was someone she knew, but whose number she had not saved in her phone. Speaking about their first meeting at Coventry railway station and their first date at the Colosseum nightclub (now known as The Kasbah), Kirsty remembered: “We would text through the day and then obviously it would become more and more frequent and then at one point we decided we should phone each other.”
Donovan revealed that he was initially hesitant to make the first move, but Kirsty’s Scottish accent won him over. “Feelings started to develop and she’d got the most beautiful Scottish accent, which attracted me to her as well,” he said.
A Magical First Encounter
The pair eventually met up about six months after Donovan sent the first text. Kirsty recalled: “I said to my stepsister, I’ve got to go and meet this guy, and she was like, ‘He could be anyone’, and I was like, ‘Yes, I know’, but I was 18 and didn’t really think about consequences.” She added: “I just got on a train and came to Coventry.”
Donovan described their first night out as “magical”. He said: “She is an amazing woman, she’s so intelligent and we know each other so well, she’s my best friend as well as my wife.”
Celebrating 20 Years of Love
More than 20 years on from their big day, the couple will be taking part in a mass renewal of vows at Coventry Cathedral on Valentine’s Day, organised by BBC CWR. Donovan said they are looking forward to celebrating the day as a family. He added: “I took my son for a suit fitting yesterday and he absolutely loved it, then my girl, she’s like, ‘I want to see Mummy get dressed up’, she can’t wait.
