Ref. 29590-41CAROLE Diplock's love of elephants is common knowledge among family and friends so her partner Gareth Williams knew it would take something big to win her heart.

Whisking her off to Sri Lanka for a special holiday, he proposed on the back of an elephant. And Carole, 49, of Olive Grove, Rodbourne Cheney, didn't disappoint.

She said: "It was such a wonderful surprise, of course I said yes."

Before the trip, Carole's passion for pachyderms had only been lived through jewellery, ornaments and furniture depicting elephants. But she dreamed of riding on the back of one before her 50th birthday.

So Gareth, 45, a complaints handler at Zurich Financial Services, splashed out more than £1,500 to realise Carole's ambition and asked for her hand in marriage.

It was a bold gesture because they have both preciously been unlucky in love. She said: "This is my third marriage and I always said: 'never again.' But Gareth is definitely the one, we are soul mates."

Gareth has also had his fair share of misfortune. He had his heart set on being an actor but was diagnosed with cancer of the jaw on his 18th birthday.

Surgeons cut away half of his jaw to save him, crushing his confidence in the process.

He said: "I could still speak, but was disfigured. My dream of acting was shattered and I became a bank clerk."

In 1992 Gareth was offered the chance to have his jaw reconstructed, using bone from his leg, at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford.

The operation gave him a new lease of life and Gareth rekindled his passion for the stage and, above all, Shakespeare.

Gareth became a member of an amateur dramatic group called Head to Toe, where he first met Carole.

He said: "I was in charge of the Shakespeare productions. We were doing A Comedy of Errors and Carole made the most fantastic set."

Carole was married at the time and her relationship with Gareth was purely platonic. In 1999 Carole got divorced and moved to start life afresh in London. But they stayed in touch and enjoyed trips to the theatre together. Romance blossomed and Carole returned to Swindon in 2001.

They have been living together ever since, but never mentioned marriage.

He said: "I have been engaged before, but that didn't bother me. I was very conscious she might not want to do it again. Then I thought I'd give it a go on an elephant."

Gareth searched for an elephant ride in England but he could only find a day cleaning out elephants in Paignton Zoo. Thanks to an unexpected Christmas bonus, he was able to book a two-week break in Sri Lanka.

Gareth has planted a beautiful sapphire and diamond ring on her finger. Carole said: "Now we're planning the wedding and it's my turn to fulfil his dream. So we might tie the knot on stage."

Victoria Tagg