<div><p>A British man and his Spanish former sweetheart have finally married 16 years after they drifted apart, reunited by a love letter lost behind a fireplace for over a decade, reports said Monday.</p><p>Steve Smith and Carmen Ruiz-Perez, both now 42, fell in love 17 years ago when she was a foreign exchange student in Brixham, and got engaged after only a year together.</p><p>But their relationship ended after she moved France to run a shop in Paris.</p><p>A few years later, in a bid to rekindle their love, Smith sent a letter to her mother's home in Spain. It was placed on the mantelpiece, but slipped down behind the fireplace and was lost for over a decade.</p><p>The missing missive was only found when builders removed the fireplace during renovation work.</p><p>"When I got the letter I didn't phone Steve right away because I was so nervous," Ruiz-Perez told the Herald Express local newspaper.</p><p>"I nearly didn't phone him at all. I kept picking up the phone then putting it down again.</p><p>"But I knew I had to make the call."</p><p>When they were reunited, it was as if time had stood still, said Smith, a factory supervisor.</p><p>"When we met again it was like a film. We ran across the airport into each other's arms. We met up and fell in love all over again. Within 30 seconds of setting eyes on each other we were kissing.</p><p>"I'm just glad the letter did eventually end up where it was supposed to be," he said, after the couple married last Friday.</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=55238462&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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