
Donovan Shears turned 18 years old in 1998 and received a gift that changed the trajectory of his entire life: his very first cellphone. The small piece of machinery opened up a whole new world for the teen, who worked as a DJ at the time.
He decided it would be fun just to text random phone numbers with the word “Hello.” Not much happened. But when Donovan finally got a “Hi” back, he had no idea he’d had his first conversation with his future wife.
Donovan and Kirsty Shears, who live in the United Kingdom, began a texting relationship long before online dating was the norm. As the pair got to know one another, they fell in love. Per the New York Post, Donovan told SWNS that getting in touch with Kirsty was a total fluke.
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“I picked the first four digits the same as mine which were 07775, then the last three digits randomly – it was probably about five or six different numbers – and then didn’t think anything of it,” he said.
At the time, they lived about 100 miles apart and spent a lot of time texting before deciding to meet. Kirsty explained, “We would text through the day, and then obviously it would become more and more frequent, and then at one point we decided we should phone each other.”
But texting at the time wasn’t like it is today.
“We were texting so much my phone bill was over $300 a month, I think that’s when I decided we should call,” he said.
The couple finally decided to meet after texting for six months. Kirsty said she was young and in love and had to know.
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“I said to my stepsister, I’ve got to go and meet this guy, and she was like, ‘He could be anyone’, and I was like, ‘Yes, I know’, but I was 18 and didn’t really think about consequences,” she said.
The pair met in Coventry, went to a nightclub, and got a kebab. “The rest is history,” he shared.
“She is an amazing woman, she’s so intelligent and we know each other so well, she’s my best friend as well as my wife,” Donovan said.
Donovan and Kirsty married in 2002 and have two children. On Valentine’s Day, the pair will join dozens of other couples for a vow renewal ceremony at Coventry Cathedral.
Donovan told SWNS that the whole family is excited. “I took my son for a suit fitting yesterday, and he absolutely loved it. Then my girl, she’s like, ‘I want to see Mummy get dressed up.’ She can’t wait.”