Adorable Derbyshire couple in isolation go viral after posting video of themselves singing duet from their sofa
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Rex Taylor, 86, cares for his wife Selina, 83, who has Alzheimer’s disease and dementia and the pair have stayed indoors for two weeks on Government advice.
The couple, who have been married for 63 years, decided to cheer up their family and friends by singing a duet of Vera Lynn’s wartime hit and posting it on Facebook.
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Hide AdThey posted the video, shot in the living room of their home in Ripley on Saturday and within days it was watched and shared almost a million times.
They have also been inundated with fan mail and comments of support from people across the world.
Rex used to run a DIY shop with Selina before they retired in 1995 and is now caring for his wife full-time.
He said: “It was just a bit of fun really, we were sat here and we thought it would be nice to let people know that, it's not easy, but we aren't too bad.
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Hide Ad"We have got an Alexa and we asked it to find something from Vera Lynn. We’ll Meet Again came up and we thought that was just perfect.
"We will come out of this and we will be in a better place, unfortunately we will have lost people which is very sad.
"As long as people do what we are doing and try not to spread it, it stops people dying when they don't need to.
"Do as you’re told and let's stick to it, but most importantly, keep your chin up - we are going to come out of this."
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Hide AdThe pair, who have three grown—up children, 11 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, are now hoping to post duets every week.
Their son Rob Taylor, 43, an operations manager, said: “My mum has got Alzheimer’s and dementia and really depends on her routine, doing things at the same time every day.
“She usually goes out to a day care centre twice a week so going into lockdown for them is particularly hard.
“Singing the song gives her something regular to do.
“My dad is now her sole carer and he’s knackered. He goes to bed with her at 8pm and sometimes has to get up with her in the night.
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Hide Ad“He performed the song first through the window frame just for family then he decided to put it on his Facebook page to share with friends and family.
“It was so genuine, just a message to say we’ll get through this and see each other again.
“I then forwarded it to our local paper and then it’s gone absolutely wild from there.
“They are very glad because they are church people and wanted to spread some joy at this time.
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Hide Ad“It really picked up yesterday morning and views have been rising at a constant rate.
“He was only a young boy at the time but he remembers the song from the war days and feels we are going through something similar now.
“I’ve taken over his Facebook page because he’s getting bombarded with nice messages.
“It was just meant for close friends and family but now people from New Zealand and America are writing to say ‘That made me cry.’
“Mum and dad are inseparable and they have a love that we would all wish to have.
“They met when he gave up his seat for her on a bus and things went from there.”