HE COULD have taken his wife out for dinner, or treated her to a weekend away, but Basingstoke dad Keith Longman instead decided to celebrate his wedding anniversary with a huge romantic gesture to surprise his other half.

The 48-year-old, from Hatch Warren, took up ice skating in secret to learn a routine to perform for his former figure-skating wife Sarah on their wedding anniversary as part of an extravagant celebration in honour of their 16 years of marriage.

The couple had toyed with the idea of renewing their vows for several years, but instead, Keith decided to organise a surprise celebration for his wife.

While Sarah was at work, Keith would sneak out to Planet Ice, at Basingstoke Leisure Park, to have ice skating lessons because he knew it was a passion of his wife’s for so many years.

“When I told everyone what I had planned a lot of people laughed, but they could see I was doing it for Sarah,” said Keith.

Keith liaised with staff at the ice rink to organise some private time on the ice after a public session and before the young Bison game, on Saturday April 9, when flowers, lights and props were brought onto the rink.

Keith said: “I hadn’t told Sarah a single thing just that we were going outto celebrate her birthday, but when we went to the ice rink she was asking why we were here, and I think the penny dropped when she saw all of our friends there.

“I told her that we had some time on the ice, but then I appeared on the ice with the flower arch and to see her face light up was the best feeling ever.”

Basingstoke Gazette:

The pair read vows which were written by their children, before Keith showcased his final routine to John Legend’s All of You which ended with him doing a leg drag, before he presented his wife with a diamond eternity ring.

“At the end I had my friends hold up score cards as a little bit of a joke,” added Keith.

Sarah, 35, said she was blown away by the whole experience and couldn’t believe that her husband had pulled it off.

She said: “It was an incredible surprise, I didn’t have a clue and to have everyone I love involved made it an incredible day.

“He was really brave to pull it off and I loved every minute of it.”