'Respect has made us last 70 years together,' British couple says

It is usually really impressive when we come across couples who manage to hold on to their relationships as they both transition from unstable adolescents to mature, independent adults.

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When people begin high school relationships or teenage affairs, they usually don’t expect it’ll survive for a long time.

That is why Thomas Howard’s story stands truly amazing on every count.

Thomas says he first developed feelings for Irene, at the age of seven; and now, 86 years afterwards, they are still both married – a union which is now 70 years old.

"When I first saw Irene, I thought, 'What a lovely girl. She’s going to be my girl, this one,'" said the English man in a chat with The Daily Mirror. "And my fondness for her grew since then."

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After his return from World War II, the couple reunited and got married in 1945.

Now married for 70 years, the couple say the only thing that has kept them going for so long is respect for each other.

"Throughout our lives together, we have only shown each other respect and good manners, and I think of lot of youngsters could learn a lot from that," said the elderly man.

"I've always respected Irene - she’s been my lifeline. I may have been wrong on certain issues, and so has she, but we always make up by the end of the day."

"Being polite and having good manners has been an important part of our lives. We've thought the world of each other."

If you did not think high of respect and good manners in your relationship before now, you might want to take it a bit more serious now.

After all, Irene and Thomas said so, and they're clearly experts.