Liz will you marry me?

Posted on June 19, 2006

There wasn't a dry eye in the house when Eaton Bray's Clive Bevins dropped down on one knee after the premiere of Making A Song And Dance About Cancer - documenting his partner Liz Farr's brave battle with the disease - and asked her to marry him.

"I was totally, totally unprepared," a stunned Liz, 55, said later. "But it was wonderful, at this stage in my life, for such wonderful things to be happening and still to be having such wonderful surprises.

"Clive is my guardian angel. I've never met such a kind and loving person and there's nothing he wouldn't do for me.

"The whole day was magic and the message I want to get across is that if you've got a life-limiting illness, you don't have to give up. You can still have a fantastic time and enjoy every minute you have left."

Clive, 64, said the only person who knew of his romantic intentions before the Rex Cinema screening in Berkhamsted on Friday was Liz's son, Rob, who made the film about his mother's uplifting and inspiring journey.

"I didn't want the premiere to be an anticlimax for Liz," Clive said. "I wanted her to have something else to look forward to, another reason to look ahead."

The happy couple, who met four years ago on a skiing trip, are hoping to have the honeymoon cruise of a lifetime to celebrate their impending nuptials.

Liz, looking frail but radiant, sang her Thank You Song - recorded as a tribute to the family and friends who've supported her - after the credits had rolled on the documentary.

The plucky mum, from Woodside, Eaton Bray, has not only lost two husbands to cancer, but was also diagnosed with breast cancer herself 17 years ago. It has now spread to her spine and liver.

Former insurance company manager Clive said they were so lucky to have got together when they did.

"She's my best friend, the loveliest lady I've ever met," he said. "I do a lot for her but I know if our situations were reversed, she'd do exactly the same for me."

And Liz is equally complimentary about Clive.

"He's the perfect partner," she said. "All my family and friends want to be around him, because he brings something special to our relationship and makes us feel complete. We enjoy being together, even if we're only watching TV." Liz also appreciates the fact he doesn't wallow in her disease.

"He pushes my illness to one side and says: 'Right, you've got this so we'll do that'," said Liz. "If I'm feeling fine, we do things. And if I'm having a bad day, we don't."

Liz was immensely moved by the documentary, which was put together over the past year.

"When it started I had tears in my eyes," she said. "It was so emotional. But as it progressed, I got more used to it.

"It's very powerful. It charts the ups and downs, what it's like to live with this condition. My son and I had some very honest conversations and I think he's done an absolutely fantastic job, bless him."

Rob is hoping to enter the film in various international festivals. And he's hoping a final version - including the romantic ending - will make it on to television.

The premiere raised more than £1,000 for Dunstable-based charity Gentle Touch Healing, whose hands-on approach has helped and strengthened Liz as she comes to terms with what lies ahead.

For more details about Liz's life and to order the Thank You Song CD, visit the www.thankyousong.co.uk website.

Source: Dunstable Gazette, 14 June 2006