London Ambulance Service worker Paige Wilkins, 29, met her now-husband Rob Wilkins, a police officer, when they were both called to a takeaway shop brawl in North London in 2018
A paramedic and a police officer have revealed how they met and fell in love during a 999 callout – to a fight at a fried chicken shop.
London Ambulance Service worker Paige Wilkins, 29, and Metropolitan Police officer Rob Wilkins, 30, met during a callout to a takeaway shop brawl. After arriving at the scene their “eyes met” briefly – and later Rob knocked on Paige’s ambulance door to ask for some wipes for his blood-stained top.
They had a quick chat and Rob was soon called off to another incident – but Paige memorised his badge and later found him on Facebook to ask him out. Amazingly, the day before the incident Rob had deleted the dating apps off his phone in order to meet someone “naturally” – and it was on his last night shift ever that he met Paige in North London in 2018.
Five years later, the pair have recalled meeting on the Evening Standard’s new dating podcast ‘London Love’ with Katie Strick. Speaking on the latest episode of the podcast, Paige said: “I was on a night shift, it was my second incident of the night and we get vague details: it was in a chicken shop, there was a fight and police were on scene. I remember walking in. It was quite chaotic.”
After both patients declined medical help at the scene, Paige returned to her ambulance before she heard a knock on the door. She said: “Rob had some blood on his shirt, so he knocked and asked if he could have some wipes. I was writing up my notes and Rob was cleaning his shirt.
“I remember he had this tight, white top on. He definitely smiled at me and then we just chatted, there was definitely some emergency in the air.” Paige noted Rob’s name badge, and after a successful social media search with her housemate, she found him on Facebook and sent him a message.
An astounded Rob said he “couldn’t believe his eyes” when he got the message, and the pair agreed to go for a drink. Rob said: “I suggested we go for a drink in Leicester Square and Soho – Paige hadn’t explored much around there so I got to show her some of my favourite places.”
After a successful date that left Paige’s face “hurting” from their laughter together, the pair stuck it out and are today married. During the interview, the couple also discussed the difficulties of shift work, and looking after one another during the pandemic in their frontline roles.
Paige said: “When I come home, I want my husband to be there for me. Someone looking out for me and my welfare, that’s what I think love is.” Asked what advice he would give people struggling in the dating world, Rob said: “Appreciate each other as people first, then build a relationship from there. It’s going to last longer if you set the foundations correctly.” You can listen to Rob and Paige’s story here.
