THE love story of childhood sweethearts Graeme Hunter and Marcell Johnson has travelled the long and winding road from school dinners to a wedding breakfast.

For the Darwen couple, who first met at primary school, have recently married, setting the seal on a 13-year relationship.

The fairytale romance started in an unlikely setting -- the netball court at St Peter's Primary School, Darwen, one day after lessons.

Graeme, then an 11-year-old pupil at St Barnabas' School, wandered over to get a lift home from his teacher mum Clare, who instructed the St Peter's netball team.

As he climbed into the car he noticed his mum was giving a lift to one of the players -- a 10-year-old Marcell.

But for him, it wasn't love at first sight.

"When we dropped her off I had to ask my mum whether she was a boy or a girl! But I'm happy to say her feminine side developed soon after that and today's she's a stunner," he said.

Things gathered pace when the pair started at Moorland High School, Darwen, and started walking home together.

"There was a lot of flirting going on," said Graeme.

Then, on one fateful school trip to Tower Wood outdoor centre in Cumbria, he made his big move and the couple kissed -- behind a curtain in the dormitory.

From that moment on they were smitten and remained together through school, sixth form and even the stony ground of many a love's young dream -- university. For four years Marcell did sports studies at St Martin's College, Lancaster, while Graeme was doing his BA at Edgehill, Ormskirk.

"We both had jobs at Marigold's, Darwen, working behind the bar, so we came back to see each other every weekend," said Marcell.

Shortly after Marcell graduated in 2000, Graeme proposed and showed the spirit of romance is alive and well. He secretly arranged for them to visit Tower Wood again and proposed at the end of the jetty, close to the spot of their first kiss.

"He went down on one knee and of course I said 'yes'. All our friends were delighted and said all along it had been inevitable and they just knew it would happen," said Marcell.

Graeme, a PE teacher at Hollins Technology College, Accrington, and Marcell, a sales administrator at Heritage Envelopes, Blackburn, have just returned from a Mexican honeymoon after marrying at St Peter's Church, Darwen. The 23-year-olds have set up home in Earnsdale Avenue, Darwen.

So what's the key to their love?

For Graeme, Marcell "is the just the best -- stunning" while she describes him as the perfect partner with a brilliant sense of humour.

Marcell's parents are Graham and Ann Johnson, of Naples Road, Darwen, and Graeme's parents are Keith and Clare Hunter, of Pinnacle Nook, Blacksnape, Darwen.