Cathy, 56 and Maurizio, 58, became close after she hired him as a massage therapist in 2014. They now live together at their home in Welling, Kent
After splitting up from her partner at the age of 35, Cathy didn’t feel as if she would find love again. “I developed lymphedema around the same time, which made my leg balloon,” she says. “My relationship had failed and I could hardly move because of my condition. I didn’t feel like anyone would find me attractive. It felt like my life was over.” Over the next few years she focused on her health and wellbeing. “I became interested in different types of therapies and took a training course in lymph drainage massage,” she says. Although she dabbled in dating, she never met anyone suitable.
In April 2014, a friend introduced her to an Italian massage therapist called Maurizio. After training in Auroville, an experimental community in Tamil Nadu, south India, he had come to London to start his practice. “I’d fallen in love with England in the 70s when I first visited,” he says. “I came here to promote my work because I enjoyed the lifestyle so much.”
