Married couple reunited in nursing home after 100 days apart

My heart, it disintegrates.

A married couple have been reunited in their nursing home after 100 days apart due to Covid restrictions and recovery. George and Joyce Bell, 89 and 87 years old respectively, were both admitted to hospital separately due to their ill health. The pair spent 100 days apart due to restrictions currently in place in UK hospitals, and to allow for their own recovery time. Teeside Live reports that the couple were reunited at the Tollesby Hall Care Home in Middlesbrough last week - and that there were, of course, tears all round. “I can’t tell you how nice it was. I told him I’d always be there for him, no matter what," Joyce told the publication. “He held me tight and said he’d never leave me again for the rest of his life.” George and Joyce married 66 years ago when he was 23 and she was 21. The pair had been living next door to one another for years in Middlesborough. Before the pair were admitted to hospital over the summer, Joyce told George he had to promise her one thing. “I told him if he ends up going into a home that I’m not going into one," she said. Joyce had been recovering from a broken hip, and says that the nursing home staff have been taking her to see her husband every day. “When Joyce arrived here at Tollesby Hall we told her husband would be coming in soon after," care home worker Rachel White said. “She was so excited and nervous, she couldn't sleep, she told staff she felt like a young girl again. With the support from the team here at Tollesby we were able to reunite George and his wife again." Rachel added that the couples' meeting was "very emotional," not just for George and Joyce, but for everyone on the staff. “It was such a heart-warming moment to be a part of and moved many of us to tears," she said. “With the support of the team here at Tollesby we are looking at getting them back in their home where they can return to their life together to carry on their fairy tale.” Image via Tollesby Hall Care Home Facebook.