FOR James and Doris Thorley it was love at first foxtrot.

"He was a lovely dancer," says Doris.

"I fell for his foxtrot and his quickstep."

That was more than 70 years ago, and James and Doris are dancing still.

"We waltzed together last year when I celebrated my 90th birthday in Blackpool," says James.

"We used to dance on holiday in Spain and Tenerife, and still dance whenever we get the chance."

That fact that James is now 91 and Doris is 88 hasn't yet kept them off the dance floor.

Last year, the couple from Fox Grove, Clayton, celebrated their platinum wedding.

"I don't think many marriages survive for 70 years," says James.

Their achievement is so rare that the next milestone – 75 years married – would be the couple's second diamond wedding

.

After that, 80 years of marriage is an oak wedding.

James, a retired HGV driver who controlled cranes before that, met his bride-to-be at a dance hall, which they can't remember the name of, in Trent Vale.

It was before the Second World War and he says at that time you could buy half a pint of beer, five cigarettes and a box of matches and get change from 6d (5p).

After that first encounter in the Trent Vale dance hall, the boy from Longton and the girl from Stoke became an item.

"We didn't get engaged or anything," says Doris, a former hairdresser.

"He never even proposed to me. We just got married."

James says: "Money was tight in those days, and it was all you could do to afford a wedding ring, let alone an engagement ring."

They were married on September 30, 1939, at Stoke Register Office, a few weeks after war was declared.

There was a party in a pub with a few close relatives, but no reception as such, and certainly no honeymoon for the newlyweds.

Shortly after the birth of their only son, Graham, James went off to war, serving in the artillery in North Africa, the Western Desert campaign and Italy.

Doris was left alone with their baby for five and a half years.

"When he came home I hardly recognised him," says Doris. "All that time in the sun had made his hair go all wavy and curly. I really liked it."

After 70 years together, James and Doris are still as close as ever.

"Sometimes I shout at him, but I can't remember why," admits Doris.

They say the secret of their long and happy marriage is "being honest with each other, and always trying to look on the bright side."

James also admits that Doris's cooking has been a pillar of their relationship. "She's a very good cook and always has been," he says. "She still makes a great lobby with the leftovers from the Sunday roast."

He also admits that throughout their marriage he always turned over his wages to Doris.

"It was very common in the old days, but not so much now," he says.

In defiance of their years, the couple walk the mile or so from their home to The Westbury Tavern pub twice a week.

"James has a couple of pints and I have two gin and tonics and then we make our way home," says Doris. "We look forward to it."

And the regulars often can't believe they've been married since the month the Second World War broke out.

How did you meet your partner? Write and tell us your stories by emailing featuresdesk@thesentinel.co.uk or write to Relationships, Features Desk, The Sentinel, Forge Lane, Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 5SS, and remember to enclose your name, address and a daytime contact number.