A woman who fell in love on holiday rekindled the relationship and got married to her fling – 10 years later.
Club promoter Zoe Shepherd-Scott, 33, was working in Ayia Napa, Cyprus, giving out shots, when she first met Michael Shepherd-Scott, 33, who was on a lads holiday in 2012.
The pair sparked a ‘holiday romance’ and met several times during his trip.
Zoe even made a passing comment to a friend about Michael – claiming she had met the man she’ll ”marry one day”.
Michael returned to Leeds, Yorkshire, after a week, and Zoe flew back to the UK a few months later to start a course at University in Bournemouth, Dorset.
Five years later, Zoe sent a drunken message to Michael and to her surprise and the connection was “still there”.
The pair renewed their romance and Zoe left her job as an Emirates air steward and moved to Leeds, to be with Michael.
The went on tie the knot in May 2022, 10 years after they first met on holiday, and recently welcomed their son, Leo, in February 2023.
Zoe, a content creator, from Leeds, Yorkshire, said: “When I met Michael, I remember saying to my friend, ‘I’ve met the man I’m going to marry.’
“During that holiday, he said the same thing to his mates about me.
“I never in a million years imagined I’d actually marry him 10 years later.
“Despite losing contact, the connection was still there.
“It’s not all been plain sailing, but I’m so glad I followed my heart.”
Zoe was working as a promotor in Cyprus during the summer of 2012, while taking a gap year before starting university.
Michael was on a lad’s holiday when he first crossed paths with Zoe.
She said: “We met when I was encouraging them to come in for shots.
“I don’t remember what we spoke about, but I remember how he made me feel.
“There was an immediate connection, and I had this gut feeling about us.”
During Michael’s weeklong trip, they met up several times for dates on the Island.
They exchanged numbers and continued messaging when Michael returned home a week later.
Zoe flew back the UK in September 2012, ready to start university.
She said: “We were both in very different places in life.
“He was focused on his career, and I was about to start my course.
“We ended up drift apart, but we kept liking each other’s photos on Facebook.”
Five years later, in 2019, Zoe had just gone through a break-up when she met with a friend.
They started discussing past relationship, and her friend reminded her of “Michael from holiday”.
“We had a few bottles of wine, and I looked him up online,” she said.
“He had two children but was also single.
“I genuinely wasn’t expecting anything to come from it, but I sent a drunk message to see how he was doing.
“It was like no time had passed.
“We immediately hit it off again.”
Zoe, who was working as an air steward at the time, ended up leaving her job and moving to Yorkshire to live with Michael in 2020.
The pair were hit with lockdown but despite the difficult circumstances, they made it work.
She said: “It was definitely tough at times – I moved my entire life there.
“I never expected to become a stepmum.
“But we took it all slowly, and the kids were so welcoming.
“Through all of it, Michael was so loving and supportive.
“I knew I had made the right decision.”
During a trip to Greece in September 2020, Michael proposed to Zoe and they started planning the wedding.
They tied the knot two years later in Athens, Greece, in May 2022, with 55 close family and friends.
“We met near Greece, so it’s always been very special to us,” she said.
“The proposal was perfect, and it really cemented my feelings that I’d made the right decision.
“It was such a magical wedding.”
In 2023, the couple were overjoyed to welcome their son Leo, 20-months-old.
Zoe said: “We’ve got through difficult times, but throughout all of it I’ve had Michael by my side.
“Things might not always be the fairy-tale you envision, but if put in the work it could be so much better.”
