Hospital Heartbreak! She Vanished, He Waited: Steve, 96, was left home alone for the first time when Jean, 73, was taken to hospital with a serious illness – Their reunion afterward brought everyone to tears
Britain’s oldest farming couple, Steve and Jean Green, are stealing the spotlight once more in the heartwarming new series At Home With The Greens, a spin-off of The Yorkshire Vet. But behind the laughs and lifelong love, a recent health scare brought unexpected heartache to their 45-year marriage.
Jean, 73, was rushed to hospital for surgery, leaving 96-year-old Steve alone at their cherished Thirsk farm for the very first time in decades. “They’ve never spent a single night apart,” shared Peter Wright, who has known the couple since 1982. “I brought Jean home after her surgery, and they were like smitten teenagers by the fire again.”
The pair’s reunion was nothing short of magical, underscoring a deep bond that’s lasted nearly half a century. Peter, who features alongside them in the show, revealed that filming with them is as unpredictable as it is delightful—especially with Jean, whose energy and humour often catch everyone off guard.
Jean’s spirited antics even included surprising Steve by getting a tattoo—despite him previously warning their daughter against it. “His face was a picture,” laughed Peter. “You could see the wheels turning in his head, trying to process it.”
The series not only captures their devotion, but also their daily joys and quirks—from Jean’s obsession with viewer ratings to her delight in opening fan parcels from across the world.
The secret to aging beautifully is to enjoy living—to embrace each moment with joy, to find beauty in the simple things, and to fill your days with laughter and love. It’s not about counting the years but making every year count. When you live fully, with an open heart and a grateful spirit, age becomes just a number, and your spirit remains timeless.
More tenderness than in youth: Stories of couples who have been together for half a century
Who hasn’t noticed elderly couples on the streets, in parks, in shops? They walk along the road slowly, in step, sometimes helping each other. Who hasn’t wondered if they would be like them at that age?
On Valentine’s Day, three couples who have been together for decades talked about their long and happy marriages. These are stories of love, kindness, mutual respect and humor.
The love story of an English teacher and a metallurgist
Lily (89) and Cesar (89). Together 74 years
Lily: Sometimes I look at my hands and say: what is this stain? I look in the mirror and get upset: wow, look at me. And he stops me and says: I like you better this way.
Cesar: I love her more now, that’s why.
Lily: So he found himself someone else, at our age.
Cesar: Yes, that’s what you think.
Lily: Come on, have someone else make you some tea. Or when we go to bed, you ask me – turn it up here, and now fix it here. Try it, tell someone else if that’s the case.
Lily: In 1942, when the Second World War was raging, we were in the same class in Nadzaladevi (Tbilisi neighborhood). But for a very short time, since in 1943 the school was disbanded, divided into male and female. Then we lost touch.
And now we are in eighth grade. One day a math exam was scheduled at a boys’ school. The girls and I agreed to help them. They threw us tasks from the balcony, we solved them below and sent them back. It turns out that Cesar was also nearby, rooting for his brothers and watching me from afar. There we met for the second time.
Cesar: I fell in love at first sight. At that time the only entertainment was cinema and theater. When I was sent for bread, I kept the change and collected money for movie tickets. New films were shown on Mondays and Thursdays.
Lily: When he invited me to the movies, I took five or six girlfriends with me. And they sat down so that there was an empty chair between us. And then during the session, sometimes one of the girlfriends moved to another seat, and he sat closer.
Once we watched the film “Wedding Without a Bride”, something like that it was called. There was a lot of fuss and incidents at that wedding. Every now and then he leaned over to me and asked: “But this won’t happen at our wedding?” So he declared his love to me for the first time. We were in ninth grade at the time.
Then a boy from the mountainous Pshavi began to pursue me, his name was Lazar. In the summer I visited relatives in his village, and he came to me on horseback. When he found out that I had a boyfriend, he called Cesar to talk.
He was older than us and stronger. I was so afraid that this bully would do things that I went to this meeting myself. There I had to say that I love Cesar. This was my declaration of love.
At that time we were already in the tenth grade. Then he made me repeat that I love him. It was late, we were returning from the cinema. He wouldn’t let me go home until I declared my love.
Then I see that my mother’s cousin, a front-line soldier, in a long red leather coat, is getting off the tram. My heart sank into my heels – if he sees me now, it’s all over! “Yes, yes, I love you too,” I said, just to get out of there. He kissed me on the cheek, and I ran home. We were lucky – my uncle saw nothing.
After that, I secretly went on dates with him – supposedly I went to study with my friends. Grandma would kill me if she knew I had a boyfriend. So we met for eight years.
Cesar: And then, in 1957, after the state exams, Lily was assigned as a teacher in another district. I was frightened – without Lily I could not live. We got married fast, we did not have a wedding. Celebrated in a couple of months in a narrow circle. And thus began our life together.
There was no honeymoon, we could not even dream of it – it was difficult with money.
Lily: Mother-in-law, father-in-law, sister-in-laws and their families – we all lived in the same cramped apartment at first. But I never once complained. Because I loved Cesar, and this love helped us overcome all difficulties.
Then, when we had had three children, Cesar was given an apartment as an employee of the Rustavi Metallurgical Plant. Then everything seemed to start all over again, and we had a real honeymoon when we made a nest for ourselves.
Even if I could go back in time, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t change a thing. We are now so much alike that even our blood pressure is rising at the same time.
Among our relatives, neighbors, acquaintances, there is no one older than us. Our eleventh grandson will be born soon. What if not love keeps us together?
There were many difficulties. We lived in Greece for eleven years as immigrants. We were already about sixty years old when we went there.
Breaking up is very easy. Reasons can always be found. Love is the main thing, it needs care. We must respect each other, sometimes make concessions. But it should be mutual. Nothing will work if only one side concedes and the other abuses it. It’s not love anymore.
I swear there was never a single curse or curse between us. We did not make a single decision without consulting each other. And there were no serious quarrels either. It’s lucky that we met. Not everyone is so lucky.