Nick Marson, a British businessman, and Diane, a Texan divorcee, met by chance in September 2001 after their separate flights were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Their flight was one of 38 planes carrying around 6,700 passengers rerouted to the small Canadian town, and the pair struck up a connection while queuing for blankets at an emergency shelter. Their story went on to inspire the Broadway musical Come From Away, and 25 years on they remain married, having built their life together from a chance meeting amid one of the darkest days in recent history.

The couple discovered they had been on the same flight and, despite their different backgrounds, found they shared similar values and a strong focus on family. During their days stranded in Newfoundland they bonded over shared meals, walks and a local "screech-in" ceremony, where a master of ceremonies jokingly offered to marry them after locals mistook them for a couple – a suggestion Diane did not dismiss. Now aged 77 and 85 respectively, Nick and Diane went on to marry within a year of meeting and have spoken to the Daily Mail about their enduring 25-year romance.