A Twickenham resident has shared the story of how she met her husband on VE Day, exactly 80 years ago.

Rita Harvey, now 97, recalls the day she met Ken — a young soldier — while travelling home from VE Day celebrations in London on 8 May 1945.

The pair locked eyes on a crowded train from Waterloo, where Ken offered Rita his seat. It was, she says, "love at first sight".

Rita and Ken on their wedding day (credit: Royal Star & Garter).

Rita, who now lives at Royal Star & Garter in Surbiton, said: "We were drinking champagne and dancing in central London, and we had a wonderful day.

"Later we went back to Waterloo to get the train home, and the carriages were packed. Then, this lovely young man offered me his seat.

"That lovely young man was Ken, and it was love at first sight."

Rita was travelling home to Twickenham on the day she met Ken (credit: Royal Star & Garter).

The couple exchanged addresses and began writing to one another, beginning a lifelong romance that saw them marry in East Molesey in 1951 and enjoy a happy life together until Ken's passing in 1993.

Rita, who is living with dementia, shared her story as the country marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, which signalled the end of the Second World War in Europe.

Royal Star & Garter, a care home for veterans and their partners living with disability or dementia, is marking VE Day at all four of its homes — in Surbiton, Solihull, High Wycombe, and its newest location in Worthing.

Ken, in his Army uniform, with Rita in August 1945, just a few months after they'd met (credit: Royal Star & Garter).

Residents will also attend a special service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey.

The Surbiton home is currently welcoming new residents.

For more information, or to find out more about the services Royal Star & Garter offers to the veterans' community, visit: www.starandgarter.org/surbiton