When Donovan Shears turned 18 years old, he was given his first mobile phone. It was a big deal back then, but being a teenager, he decided he’d kick things off with a joke.
It was 1998, and it was the fashion to try texting random mobile numbers saying ‘hello.’
But what he didn’t expect was a reply from a woman who would eventually become his wife. On the other end of the line was Kirsty, who rightfully replied with a simple ‘hi, who’s this?’
‘I started sending out random text messages, showing off to my friends saying, “I can page other phones”,’ Donovan, now 45 and living in Coventry, reflects.
‘I picked the first four digits the same as mine which was 07775, then the last three digits randomly – it was probably about five or six different numbers – and then didn’t think anything of it.
‘I just a message saying “hello.” I remember one of the messages I sent was to a number ending in 365.’
At the time, Kirsty was living more than 100 miles away in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, and she’d only just bought the phone. Assuming the message was from somebody she’d given her number to, she asked who it was.
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‘It came back “Don” and we just started chatting from there,’ Kirsty shares.
When their phone bills started to exceed £250 each month, they decided they should call instead – which is when the feelings started to develop.
‘She’d got the most beautiful Scottish accent, which attracted me to her as well,’ Donovan recalls.
The pair quickly started exchanging near-constant text messages, and so eventually, they arranged a date in Donovan’s home city of Coventry. And it was love at first sight.
Before meeting, they’d described to one another what they looked like via text. Their relationship started before even camera phones became the norm – and at the time, Kirsty had an Alcatel.
‘I asked him what he looked like and he said he was 6ft 6ins and I thought “is he really?” Luckily he really is that tall so I wasn’t being catfished via text.
‘I told him I was Scottish, 5ft tall and not slim but not fat and he said, “that’s my type.” The first time we knew what the other looked like was when we met at Coventry train station.’
It was about six months of texting and calling before Donovan asked her to visit him in Coventry. Kirsty’s stepsister was worried that he ‘could be anyone,’ but being 18, she said she ‘didn’t really think about the consequences.’
Once Kirsty arrived, they went clubbing – and got a traditional post-night out kebab afterwards. The rest, as Donovan says, is ‘history.’
‘I remember coming back from our first night out and we just cuddled up, it was kind of magical in a way,’ Donovan says.
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‘She’s an amazing woman, she’s so intelligent and we know each other so well. She’s my best friend as well as my wife.’
Fast forward to 2025 and the pair have been married for 23 years, originally tying the knot in 2002 after four years together. They now have two children together, nine-year-old son Stirling and six-year-old daughter Alora.
This Valentine’s Day, the couple are joining dozens of others in renewing their marriage vows as part of a special service at Coventry Cathedral.
‘I took my son for a suit fitting and he absolutely loved it,’ Donovan concludes. ‘Then my girl, she’s like “I want to see mummy get dressed up.” She can’t wait.’
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