Lisa Hollinshead, 33, from Sydney, was taking her seat on a flight to London when she found herself sat next to a man named Stephen Moore, 44,
Little did they know that this chance meeting would lead into a love story usually reserved for the plot of a romantic comedy.
Referring to their chance meeting as ‘fate’, Lisa now lives with Stephen in Sydney with their two-year-old son.
‘It seems a bit surreal to be honest, to think three years ago I was single and living by myself in a studio in Bondi,’ she told FEMAIL.
‘If it wasn’t my story I wouldn’t believe it because it’s so surreal.’
Lisa Hollinshead, 33, (left) from Sydney, was taking her seat on a plane when she met her now boyfriend Stephen Moore, 44 (right) (pictured with their
The couple had started chatting on the flight because Ms Hollinshead picked up on his Liverpool accent and she was originally from Manchester herself.
‘The only reason we spoke was because of his accent and eventually I found out he went to my university and lived down the road from where I grew up,’ the PR consultant said.
They soon found themselves talking throughout the flight about each other’s lives.
Ms Hollinshead said she dreaded the end of the journey because she thought they would never see each other again.
The couple had started chatting on the flight because Ms Hollinshead picked up on his Liverpool accent, as she was originally from Manchester herself
They soon found themselves talking throughout the flight about each other’s lives (pictured with their son Albie)
But the 33-year-old was in luck, as Mr Moore asked her for her number.
Although Ms Hollinshead was only briefly visiting her family in England and Mr Moore lived there permanently, they started talking every day for two and a half months.
‘It was a friendly, platonic exchange at the beginning for sure,’ she explained.
‘We both thought we were attractive but it was over the course of us chatting as friends that we realised there was potentially a spark there.’
Ms Hollinshead said she dreaded the end of the journey because she thought they would never see each other again
Once Ms Hollinshead was back home in Sydney she eventually found herself looking forward to his texts and would have a big smile on her face when they arrived.
Mr Moore ended up being the person she would go to when she had exciting news to share or if she had a bad day at work.
Although there are 15,000 kilometres between England and Australia, the PR consultant felt a stronger bond with him than she had ever had with someone else before.
‘After a while we thought we should meet somewhere in the middle so in October 2016 we booked our flights to meet in Vietnam in December,’ she said.
Once Ms Hollinshead was back home in Sydney she eventually found herself looking forward to Mr Moore’s texts and would have a big smile on her face when they arrived
Although there are 15,000 kilometres between England and Australia, the PR consultant felt a stronger bond with him than she had ever had with anyone else before
Shortly after the flights were booked and paid for Ms Hollinshead found out the devastating news that her grandfather only had days to live, which resulted in her flying back to England sooner than she thought.
‘Stephen booked a hire car, picked me up from the airport and organised a proper first date for while I was over there,’ she said.
‘We hung out all week and although it was the highest of the highs it was also the lowest of the lows, dealing with my grandfather’s death was extremely difficult.’
Mr Moore proved that he was there for her as he also came to the wake, which Ms Hollinshead said was a ‘big gesture’.
When Ms Hollinshead found out her grandfather only had days to live she said Mr Moore was there for her throughout all of it
‘We hung out all week and although it was the highest of the highs it was also the lowest of the lows,’ she said
‘He has shown time and time again that he’s a great person and that he is always there for me if I need him,’ she said.
After the three weeks were up Ms Hollinshead went home, knowing she had Vietnam to look forward to.
Once back in Sydney she started feeling really unwell and with a medical history that left her with only one ovary, Stephen encouraged her to go to the doctors.
As Ms Hollinshead had dealt with lots of health problems when she was younger he was worried that they may be returning.
It was then she was told she was pregnant.
‘To say I was shocked was an understatement, after everything I’d been through I didn’t think I could get pregnant, let alone so quickly after meeting someone,’ she said.
‘My head was a spin of emotions but one of the first things I wanted to do was call Stephen.’
After Ms Hollinshead’s England visit she started feeling really unwell once she was back in Sydney
It was then she was told she was pregnant, even though she had dealt with health complications that affected her fertility
Ms Hollinshead said he was ‘amazing’ in the way he handled it and once he got over the shock he immediately asked her how she was.
Although the fact Ms Hollinshead had conceived the baby was a miracle, she said she didn’t want to pressure him into making a decision.
She told him to mull it over a few days before they had a conversation about what they both wanted.
‘He phoned me back and he said he thought it was fate. He said that he thought I would be a wonderful mother and he wanted to do it if I did too,’ she said.
‘To think that throughout all of this there was 15,000 miles between us, he is 10 years older and he’d never lived away from home, there were so many things that were stopping us.’
Although the fact Ms Hollinshead had conceived the baby was a miracle, she said she didn’t want to pressure Mr Moore into making a decision
The baby boy was named Albie, after Ms Hollinshead’s grandfather Albert
Mr Moore told Ms Hollinshead that he thought the fact that she was pregnant was fate
Even though there were obstacles in their way, they both made changes for each other so it could work.
Ms Hollinshead decided to move into Mr Moore’s house in England for the birth and for the first year of the baby.
Due to her previous health issues she had to have a C-section and her best friend, who is a midwife, ended up delivering the baby.
The baby boy was named Albie, after Ms Hollinshead’s grandfather Albert.
‘A year later we moved back to Sydney, which means he’s moved half way across the world at 42,’ she said.
‘It is hard, you don’t have the support of your parents here, it’s not the easiest journey but we have each other.’
Ms Hollinshead had a C-section and her best friend, who is a midwife, ended up delivering the baby
‘Even though on paper it’s a fairy tale, we are a real couple going through everything that other couples go through but in warp speed, so it isn’t without its struggles,’ she added.
Ms Hollinshead said the fact that they have overcome so many obstacles together is a testament that they were meant to be together.
Although sometimes they have thought it was all too hard, they ended up making it work.
‘We’re not engaged or anything yet, we’re quite happy to take our time, there’s no rush,’ she said.
‘We want to get to know each other outside of me being pregnant and apart from us being parents.’