HALF a century of married life has been kind to Celeste and Pasquale Marcarella after the couple chose Swindon as their adopted home.

Celebrating 50 years together in their Golden Wedding anniversary today, the Italian-born couple said love and support had kept them united, even through family tragedies.

Falling for each other as teenagers living in towns separated by a mile-wide valley, Pasquale decided to follow Celeste to England after her family moved home.

The couple settled in Swindon, marrying at Holyrood Church when Celeste was just 17.

The pair went straight to work to earn their citizenship, Pasquale at the Plessis factory after a stint at Hills, and Celeste making army and navy uniforms at the old Compton factory.

Their first pregnancy ended in tragedy, with twins Pasqualina and Assunda passing away just moments after a premature birth in 1966.

But five more little ones would follow, with children Pasqualina, Claudia, Antonio, Giovanna and Assunda now in their 40s, and six grandchildren keeping them busy.

"You have got to support each other in a marriage," said Celeste.

"We do argue sometimes, but you can't win all the time. I argue with him about all the pots he has in the back garden, which clutter up the place, but when you love each other none of that matters.

"Love is the most important thing.

"We have both loved living in Swindon and we feel more at home in England.

"We have lived here all our lives and we love it. I remember when you used to go up to the factory and the horn used to sound, and there would be hundreds of bicycles instead of all the cars."

At 66 years old, Celeste is still working after 26 years working in kitchens, with part time jobs in a library and school because 'you have to do something to keep busy'.

Pasquale, 70, said moving to England to follow Celeste had not been a difficult decision.

"We were both born in Italy, and there was a valley between the towns so we could see each other over it, as it was only about a mile apart," he said.

"If you wanted to walk, you would have go around the mountain for seven or eight miles.

"Celeste used to come into my town all the time when she was about 14 and I was about 18.

"She had a relation living over there, and used to come over to visit her.

"Her dad used to work in Belgium, and he came to England, so she came here after them. Because I was so in love with her I followed her.

"For the first few months it was very hard adjusting, considering you have just left your family and you miss them so much.

"When we first moved it was a bit difficult because you didn't speak the language, but we all got along in the end.

"The secret is you have got to be able to put up with each other through anything. Everybody has upsets every now and then, but you have got to argue sometimes to be happy."