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Byline: JANE RIDLEY
SEXY flings are part of many people's holidays, with most suchliaisons fading faster than a suntan. But would the spark be re-ignitedif you met your old flame again in similar circumstances?
Now, thanks to the new Sky TV show Back To The Beach, two womenwere reunited with a past holiday romance - with mixed results. Here,they tell M how they got on...
Diane Leah, 23, a shop manager from Bolton, had a fling withaircraft engineer Dan Phelps, also 23, from Ugley, Essex, while inKavos, Corfu, last year. They were reunited at the resort 10 months on.
I'D just split from my boyfriend, so I wasn't looking forromance when I went on holiday with my friends, Jan and Karina.
But on the third night, I got tipsy and approached a guy I'dseen. There was just something about him I really liked. Dan and I spentthe evening together and I ended up at his apartment... and we stayedtogether for the rest of the break.
It was sad when we said goodbye. Dan gave me his number, which Ipromptly lost, so there was no way of contacting him. Anyway, I thoughtit was just a holiday fling, though Dan was often on my mind.
The months went by and I stayed single. Then, in April, one of mycolleagues told me about Back To The Beach. And I thought it would be agood laugh to see Dan again.
He took some tracking down. He had told me he lived in Ugley andthe researchers managed to find him.
I was really pleased when he decided to come back to Kavos but Iwas a nervous wreck when I saw him again in one of our favourite bars.He was as good-looking as I remembered and, after I'd had a fewdrinks, really easy to talk to.
Our first snog happened soon afterwards, when he grabbed me as Iwas coming out of the loo. It was as if we'd been transported backin time.
We spent that night together and the next and the next. All in all,the reunion was a great success. I'd like to think Dan is The Onebut we'll have to wait and see.
It's difficult as we now have a long-distance relationship,though we've managed to meet up for three weekends since Corfu.I'm so glad I agreed to take part in the show. It was a gamble thatpaid off.
We snogged and then it all went downhill
Amber Roche, 32, a Dublin insurance clerk, met Greek soldier HarasTheopoulis, 36, on Rhodes 15 years after their holiday romance.
I FIRST met Haras in 1988 when he was posted on Rhodes for hisNational Service. I was 17 and on holiday with my mum and dad.
He was gorgeous - tall, dark and handsome. Our first date wasstrolling through Rhodes Town. It was very innocent - I was back by 11pmas he had to be in his barracks.
We had our first snog on the beach on the last night of our holidayas a plane flew overhead. Back in Ireland, I told all my friends. Weloved the film An Officer And A Gentleman and could imagine him comingto school in his uniform and whisking me off my feet.
After that, cards, letters and gifts kept coming. He wrote"One day, we will be reunited in Rhodes". After his NationalService, he went home to Athens and worked in a shoe factory. I went tocollege and travelled around Europe, living in Italy for a few years.
We didn't keep in touch and the letters petered out. But whenthe internet started, Haras began sending polite emails. He was nowmanager of a supermarket. I found out about a TV show that reunitesholiday romances and instantly thought of Haras.
We were both single and I was curious what might happen if we metagain. We met last month in Rhodes Town and I was taken aback by howemotional he was - quite tearful. But the biggest shock was his awfulhairdo with this strange fuzzy ball on his head. I thought he could dowith a makeover.
We went for a meal and it seemed to go well. I didn't like theway he chain smoked and fiddled with worry beads. But I was determinedto have a good time. We went to Faliraki, which is not my scene. ButHaras loved those awful Irish bars and cheap nightclubs. I regret whathappened later - we ended up having a snog on the beach.
Things went downhill from there. Haras appeared at the pool in thetiniest pair of trunks I'd ever seen. His chest hair stretched allover his shoulders and down his back. I didn't fancy him at all.
That night he got all macho. He refused to dance and just sat atthe bar with his worry beads. So next day I told him I just wanted to befriends. I didn't want my trip ruined so I went out on my own andgot to know three Italian guys.
On the afternoon I left, Haras was sulking as usual. But when I wasin the taxi, he shouted "Haras will always remember you with hisheart, not his d***!" I just looked daggers at him.
One of the Italians invited me to Venice. And, yes, we had aholiday romance. Now he's coming to Dublin, so who knows what willhappen?
Back To The Beach is on Sky One on Sundays at 9pm.
CAPTION(S):
SINGLE: Amber Roche; Picture: CHARLIE COLLINS; LETDOWN: Amber meetsHaras again Cavorting in Kavos, Diane and Dan realised their feelingsfor one another still ran deep; Picture: EDMOND TERAKOPIAN; CHEMISTRY:Diane and Dan reignited their passion
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