WHILE most couples will happily regale you with stories of how they first met for Cheryl and David Hickman their love story is a little more complicated. The husband and wife go back a long way, in fact they’ve known each other from birth due to the fact they are first cousins. Cheryl and David Hickman, both 52, from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, are first cousins and their fathers are brothers.

Despite cruel comments from trolls claiming they ‘belonged on The Jeremy Kyle Show’ The couple, who married in 2016, enjoyed a healthy sex life until recently. For the last three years, a night of romance is the last thing on Cheryl’s mind as the mum-of-one suffers crippling pain from endometriosis. It's a disease where tissue grows outside the uterus, which can cause severe discomfort in the pelvis and sometimes infertility.

The condition often leaves Cheryl unable to get out of bed and in too much pain for sex. Now, Cheryl, who has been unable to work for eight months, is desperately awaiting a hysterectomy on the NHS. She says: “I’ve been fighting for surgery for years. “Once, David and I couldn’t keep our hands of each other, but our sex life amongst other things, has suffered due to the pain. “We’re desperate to reconnect, physically and to get my health back on track.”.

After 16 years together, the couple claim to still be madly in love and don’t care what society thinks of their unorthodox relationship. Cheryl says: “When I was younger I never thought my future husband would end up being my cousin. “But you can’t help who you fall in love with.”. Growing up, Cheryl and David’s families were close, visiting each other once a month in Wandsworth, London. Cheryl says: “While our parents nattered, David and I would play together.

“David loved to follow me around the house and yank my ponytail. “Even though we were the same age, I always referred to him as my annoying little cousin.”. But when they were 14, David’s family moved away from the area and Cheryl moved on with her life. Years later, in 1994, Cheryl, then 22, discovered she was infertile and so in 2001, Cheryl and her then partner adopted a newborn girl, Caitlin, now 23.

The following year, Cheryl got married but they divorced six years later. In 2009, just a year after her divorce, Cheryl received a message from David on Facebook out of the blue. She says: “I hadn't heard from him in 22 years but that night, David and I messaged back and forth, catching up on each other's lives. “I discovered he was divorced and had step children. “I told him all about Caitlin and my past marriage.”.

After that night, the pair spoke every day. The next month, Cheryl invited David to Caitlin’s 8th birthday party in London. She says: “As he walked in, I thought he looked really handsome. “It was at that moment that I realised I found my cousin attractive. “I tried to shake it off, but I couldn’t help the way I felt. “I told David he looked fantastic and he said it was so nice to see me. “After the party, David pulled me aside and told me he had feelings for me.

“I was so excited, I admitted I fancied him too. My dad was furious and said we needed to break up as it was against the law. “We ended up kissing. “I knew we were cousins, but my feelings took over, it didn’t feel wrong, it felt right.”. But the next day, Cheryl’s worries began to catch up with her. She says: “David and I were related by blood, so I stressed that I’d get into trouble. “I quickly did some research online and discovered first-cousin marriages were legal in Britain.

“It wasn’t classed as incest and I was so relieved. “After that, David and I decided to give our relationship a go.”. Soon, David became a doting stepdad to Caitlin. At first, afraid of their family’s reaction, Cheryl and David kept their relationship a secret. But two months later, they came clean. Cheryl says: “As David no longer spoke to his family, he didn’t need to tell them. “So I confessed to mine.

“I told my parents that David and I had fallen in love. “My mum told me to stop being ridiculous, while my dad was furious and said we needed to break up as it was against the law. “I quickly showed him a website that confirmed first cousin relationships were legal. “Then, he calmed down. “After that, they still weren’t happy, but I understood they needed time to get used to the idea.”. Six months later, their family finally accepted their union.

But soon, internet trolls began leaving cruel comments on Cheryl and David’s Facebook. Cheryl says: “They called our relationship incestuous. “Others said that we belonged on the Jeremy Kyle show. “I was furious. “I said to David how could people say such gross things, we weren’t brother and sister. “Thankfully, when we told our friends about us, they were supportive. It's actually quite common, with 10 per cent of marriages around the world being between first or second cousins.