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Outlook Mixtape: First loves and first dates

The climbers whose first date involved a dramatic mountain rescue, the Syrian couple who met over a CV, the couple reunited after 42 years, and love in an Italian dubbing studio.

In 2003, Rachel Colenso and her partner Jeremy went on a first date climbing Piz Badile in the Swiss Alps. But what was meant to be a romantic getaway ended up being a disaster when they were engulfed in a fierce electrical storm and trapped on a narrow, icy ledge with little food and water for three days. The pair narrowly escaped with their lives, so why did Rachel agree to return to the mountain with Jeremy?

When Syrian Tamim Kbarh did a call-out on social media offering to help people improve their curriculum vitae, he had no idea it would change the entire course of his life. An impressive CV from Rahaf Al Iymoni dropped into his inbox and it was love at first resume. But he was in Turkey and she in Syria. It would take a challenging three year journey and a virtual wedding before they finally had their first face to face date.

Jeanne Gustavson met Steve Watts as an undergraduate at university in Chicago in 1971, but her family disapproved of their interracial relationship. The pressure became too much, and Jeanne broke up with Steve, but she never forgot him, and four decades later she tracked him down. Steve was living with disabilities in a nursing home, but they knew immediately that they were still in love. They finally got married in 2022 and are raising funds to make the home and garden they share accessible. This interview was first broadcast in November 2021.

Francesco Pannofino and Emanuela Rossi fell in love across a microphone in an Italian recording studio. The dub artitsts have become famous for providing the voices for George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer to name but a few. They featured in a documentary called Being George Clooney, and are currently appearing in a comedy play in Italy with their son Andrea.

The film clips used in the last story were from:
Ocean's Eleven/Warner Bros./Steven Soderbergh
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown/El Deseo, S.A/Pedro Almod贸var
The Age of Innocence/Columbia Pictures/Martin Scorsese

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

(Photo: Cassette tape. Credit: Getty Images)

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Sat 15 Feb 2025 03:06GMT

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