SAS: Who Dares Wins star Matthew ‘Ollie’ Ollerton ties the knot with Laura Gander in secret Scottish ceremony… after plans for Bond-themed nuptials were DASHED by coronavirus
SAS: Who Dares Wins star Matthew ‘Ollie’ Ollerton has tied the knot with his fiancée Laura Gander in a secret ceremony in Scotland.
The TV star and military veteran was forced to call off his lavish Bond-themed nuptials in July last year due to the coronavirus pandemic so embarked on the ‘absolute mission’ to elope to Gretna Green on December 27 – his 50th birthday.
Speaking to Hello, he said: ‘We defied all the odds and it was an absolute mission to pull it off. It was the year when it looked like we wouldn’t be able to marry, and then we did. We did it on that day so I’ll never forget our anniversary.’
Sad times: SAS: Who Dares Wins star Matthew ‘Ollie’ Ollerton has tied the knot with his fiancée Laura Gander in a secret ceremony in Scotland
Despite lockdown restrictions, the couple were allowed to cross the border from England into Scotland as the move was for a wedding.
Clad in a dress from Ghost, Laura looked radiant for her pared-back day.
She said: ‘It was quite surreal, and stressful in the lead up as literally the week before the wedding everything was changing again in both England and Scotland.
‘I was straight on to the Scottish government website checking out the restrictions, but we found out that you could cross the border into Scotland if you were going there for a wedding.’ They have spent their honeymoon at Lake Windermere.
Tough times: The TV star and military veteran was forced to call off his lavish Bond-themed nuptials in July last year due to the coronavirus pandemic so embarked on the ‘absolute mission’ to elope to Gretna Green on December 27 – his 50th birthday
Their initial nuptials were tipped to see the couple thrill-seek, with Ollie sky-diving from a plane, driving an Aston Martin and riding a motorbike to the altar, while Laura had planned to arrive at their ceremony in a helicopter.
Speaking to news.com.au last year, ‘gutted’ Ollie explained that his and Laura’s nuptials was themed: ‘Bond, Babes and Villains’.
He revealed: ‘I was going to free fall into the wedding from a plane. We had Aston Martin’s on standby to pick me up and take me into the wedding to a certain point.
‘I am humbled by her love and her beauty’: Ollie announced his engagement to Laura in a post shared to his Instagram on New Year’s Eve in December 2019
‘Then, for the final leg, I was going to get onto my 1971 classic cafe racer [motorbike] and ride in to meet my bride,’ Ollie said.
Ollie announced his engagement to Laura in a post shared to his Instagram on New Year’s Eve in December 2019.
‘I am humbled by her love and her beauty, my proposal met with acceptance ❤️ 2020 is already looking up! I love you @lauragander11 ❤️❤️,’ he wrote.