FORMER Greenock golden couple John and Elizabeth Marshall celebrate their 50th anniversary today.

John, who hails from Manchester, says he 'stole' his fellow squaddie's girlfriend when he was in the Second Battalion Scots Guards in Germany.

His pal showed him a picture of Elizabeth Clark, he noted the address on the back and promptly contacted her and arranged to visit her at her home in Branchton.

Romance blossomed and he wrote to her every day.

The pair married in St Andrew's Church in Larkfield on September 12 in 1970.

The pair now live in Kirknewton, West Lothian, and will celebrate the anniversary with a break booked by their daughter in Pitlochry.