Mistaken identity
'He thought I was someone else'
Hannah White, 29, is a fashion buyer from south-west London. She says:
"Logging into my Facebook account in July 2009, I was confused to see a message from a guy called James, who I was sure I didn't know.
'Hi Hannah, nice to meet you over the weekend. Wondered if you fancied going for a drink some time?' it read.
I laughed, realising this guy had clearly got the wrong person. I definitely hadn't met a James at the weekend.
'Wrong Hannah,' I replied. 'Unless I have severe memory loss!' Hitting send, I didn't expect to hear from him ever again.
No one was more surprised than me when James replied and we started a jokey online conversation, culminating in him asking me out for a drink.
I'd never been out with, or even kissed, someone totally random before. I'd always stuck to friends of friends when it came to dating.
But I'd been single for three years and James' cheeky Facebook messages made me laugh, so I thought 'why not?'. I had nothing to lose.
Was he handsome? I couldn't really tell, his Facebook profile picture was of him in a weird fancy-dress outfit - with pink tights and a headband!
A week later we met on a rainy night at a bar in Putney, south-west London.
That day, I'd nearly backed out of the date. What was I doing going to meet a guy I didn't know? It was so unlike me.
But my housemates thought it was hysterical that I was going out with a guy who'd actually been trying to find someone else, and insisted I went along to meet him.
I felt a bit nervous as I walked into the bar. I recognised him straightaway and, thankfully, he looked normal in jeans and a polo shirt.
I thought he was cute, but I had to get my head around the fact that I was on a date with a stranger I'd met on Facebook.
He told me he'd recently met a blonde girl called Hannah at a barbecue and, after regretting not getting her number, had tried to track her down on Facebook and found me instead. I wasn't offended that he'd been looking for another girl. I thought it was funny.
We got on brilliantly, even better than online! As we talked, we discovered we'd both gone to university in Newcastle, and had both been on holiday in Portugal, even going to the same nightclubs. There seemed to be so many coincidences, I couldn't believe how similar our lives were.
The date was really good fun and James asked me out again. On our second date we shared a kiss.
We've been together over a year now, and people love to hear the story of how we met - most of them think it's hilarious.
For Valentine's day this year, I had a printout of our original Facebook messages framed as a special memory of how we met.
Whether it was fate or just a happy accident that brought us together, all I know is that I've never been happier and I'm so glad James didn't get the other Hannah's phone number at the barbecue that weekend."
James Gilmore, 30, is an insurance broker from west London. He says:
"I kicked myself for not asking Hannah from the barbecue for her number, but it was the best decision I've ever made.
I was so embarrassed when I realised I'd messaged the wrong girl. I'd never tried to track anyone down on Facebook before, and clearly I wasn't very good at it! But Hannah number two was so pretty and didn't seem to mind the fact that some idiot had messaged her by accident. So I thought it was worth asking her out.
As we sat talking on our first date, I realised she was a pretty special woman, and I hoped she'd want to see me again.
What are the chances of meeting someone so gorgeous, who you get on with so well, completely by accident on Facebook? I definitely think fate played a part in us meeting like that - how else can you explain it?"
Lost property
'I lost my phone but found love'
Lorna Kings, 25, is a make-up artist from Harrow, north-west London. She says:
"Last September, I was sitting in a bar in Harrow opposite a tall and handsome man, chatting and laughing like we'd known each other for years.
But I'd only met Lee a few minutes before when I'd collected my mobile phone from him after leaving it on a bus days earlier. Lee had found it and, when I'd called my number in a panic, he'd answered and offered to meet me and return it.
All I'd been bothered about was getting my phone back - but as soon as I saw Lee, I felt a spark. When he asked me out there and then, I decided it would be a laugh. I'd been single for two years, so what was the harm? Plus, Lee was exactly my type.
It felt very surreal to be on a date with someone I'd just met, our only connection my lost phone. Lee told me he was a chef and lived in Brighton. He'd been in London visiting friends and was on the bus home when he noticed my phone on the seat. I'd had lots of shopping bags with me and I must have dropped it on the seat without noticing.
At the end of our impromptu date, we swapped numbers. Lee called me a few days later and I travelled down to Brighton to see him. We spent the day together, walking on the beach and getting to know one another. And now, a year later, we're still together and very in love.
He cooks me delicious meals, he makes me laugh with his cheeky sense of humour what's not to love?
My friends and family just can't believe we met because I was clumsy enough to lose my phone on the bus. They're always saying: 'That's a story to tell the grandchildren!'
I was happy when I was single, but I'm even happier now that I'm with Lee. I truly believe that when you're not looking for love it just shows up. So now, if Lee and I ever fall out, we both remember how we got together and that there must have been a reason Lee found my phone that day. We always make up pretty quickly!
I'm not a superstitious person, but I now believe certain people are meant to come into your life for a reason, and I definitely see my future with Lee."
Lee Bawyers, 24, is a chef from Brighton. He says:
"Losing your mobile phone is such a nightmare, so when I saw one left on a bus seat I was keen to do a good deed and return it to its owner.
Fortunately, Lorna called her phone and we were able to arrange to meet up. She's a gorgeous girl and, being a bit of a cheeky chap, I decided to try my luck and ask her out for a drink.
Lorna is my first serious girlfriend and I still can't believe how lucky I am to have found her. They say what goes around, comes around and I've definitely got my reward for my good deed."
The emergency pick-up
'I found love in a tow truck'
Natalie Down, 26, is a student veterinary nurse from Wool, Dorset. She says:
"Every girl dreams of being rescued by a knight in shining armour, but I never expected mine to pull up in a tow truck.
What had been a miserable afternoon - my car breaking down in the rain, calling a recovery service and then waiting for them - would become an afternoon that changed my life forever.
In April 2007, my mum Karen and I were on the way to see my granddad, an hour's drive from my home in ¿Dorset, when my Vauxhall Corsa came to a juddering halt. Luckily, I had breakdown cover and called for a tow truck straightaway.
When it arrived and a tall guy with a cheeky smile got out and introduced himself as Gareth, I turned to Mum and said: 'He's a bit of alright, isn't he?'.
I had a boyfriend, but our four-and-a half-year relationship was coming to an end and, although I knew I shouldn't be attracted to Gareth, I couldn't help it.
He towed my car home and Mum and I clambered into his truck. I sat beside him and we chatted like old friends. Back at mine, we invited him in for a coffee and he stayed for three hours.
He told us he lived in Poole, 15 minutes away, and had a girlfriend but that the relationship wasn't going well. Then he offered to fix my car for a fraction of what a garage would charge.
We swapped numbers so we could arrange for him to work on my car. After exchanging a few texts, he asked me out for a drink as friends and, a couple of weeks later, we met up.
We spent the night laughing and as we said goodbye I knew there was more than friendship between us.
Splitting up with our partners was never discussed, but independently we both did just that. Then a month after we first met, Gareth and I started dating.
We moved in together in August 2007 and in October 2008 we went on a break to Disneyland Paris, where Gareth proposed. We set the date for May this year, at the Marsham Court Hotel in Bournemouth.
I came up with the idea of arriving in a tow truck as a tribute to the way Gareth and I had first met. We arranged for a red 40-foot truck to take me and my stepdad Andrew to the wedding.
If someone had told me that my future husband would be a tow-truck driver who came to my rescue one rainy afternoon in April, I'd never believed it. I thank my car for bringing us together!"
Gareth Down, 23, is a service manager for a motor company. He says:
"I was actually on a day off when I got a call from work asking if I could help with a breakdown. I reluctantly agreed, but now I'm so glad I did.
When I spotted Natalie at the side of the road, I immediately thought she was gorgeous. Then as I worked away on her car and started chatting, the more I wanted to get to know her.
The relationship I was in at the time wasn't working, but I made sure I was single before anything happened between Natalie and me.
When my colleagues found out I was dating someone I'd towed, they gave me a bit of a ribbing, but they could see how perfect Natalie and I are for one another.
Our wedding was amazing, and it was very fitting that Natalie arrived in a tow truck. After all, that's what brought her into my life in the first place!"
Ben Bostic, 39, and Laura Zych, 31, boarded a plane in January 2009, but could never have dreamt it would end up crashing into New York's Hudson River, or that their brush with death would bring them into each other's arms. The couple have been together ever since.
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