flashback

Tomorrow marks the 30th anniversary of one of the most enduring celebrity marriages, Yasmin and Simon Le Bon! The couple wed on 27th December 1985 in a quiet ceremony with family and friends in an Oxford register office (the bride wearing a grey and white mohair dress that she had purchased at the last minute), having had their first date the preceding spring at a film premiere after Simon famously spotted her in a photographer’s portfolio and instantly fell for her.

What’s their secret? Aside from spending a lot of time apart (“You can support someone, but you have to go off and have your own life,” Yasmin has said, adding that she would have “murdered him” if they had to live out of each other’s pockets), it is love, dedication, hard work, and laughter that has kept them together. Yasmin cites her parents’ relationship as being an important influence in her life: “[They] stayed together through thick and thin for 44 years. I saw the good, the bad, and the ugly, and that taught me not to be frightened of it. In retrospect, that had a big impact on me, because throwing in the towel at the first hurdle has never been on the agenda for me.” As Simon said a few years ago, “I guess I’m really lucky that I picked somebody really bloody good in the first place. She’s great fun, fantastic, beautiful, and we laugh all the time. It’s not always easy at all. But I really want to stay married for life. People are led to believe that if it’s not perfect then just ditch it and change it these days. That’s a f***ing mistake.”

Thirty years on, their love does not seem to have dampened. Earlier this year, Simon said, “It’s actually very cool being married to Yasmin. Not only is it great just to wake up and look at her in the mornings, it’s great seeing the effect she has on other people, men and women. I just think, ‘That’s my girl.’ I’ve got a lot of affection and I show it. It’s funny but I’m really looking forward to going home and seeing her this evening.” “There are times when Simon’s on tour and we haven’t seen each other for weeks, and we miss each other desperately, so I fly out to him,” Yasmin said a few years ago. “I still fancy Simon. I always think he’s the best-looking guy in the room.”

To many more!

Thirty+ years of photos…