 Newly-weds Angela Baker and the Rev Charles Knowles |
The widow who inspired the hit movie Calendar Girls has married the vicar who helped her through her grief. Angela Baker, 60, described her marriage to the Rev Charles Knowles as a "fairy tale ending".
She married the 62-year-old Church of England vicar at Fountaine's Chapel in her home village of Linton in Craven, North Yorkshire.
The new Mrs Knowles shot to fame by posing nude for a calendar with friends from Rylstone Women's Institute.
About 40 close friends and family - including six original Calendar Girls - attended the ceremony. Angela's children, Matthew, 34, and Rachel, 37, also attended.
The wedding comes seven years after the death of her first husband, John, from leukaemia.
His death led the WI members to pose naked for a charity calendar which inspired the film, turning the women into stars on both sides of the Atlantic.
Asked if she thought she would ever find love again, Mrs Knowles said: "I never did. I just always thought John would be here and we would grow old together.
"I never thought I would find someone else. It's just brilliant. It's a fairytale ending. I'm very lucky."
Mrs Knowles admitted to having a few pre-wedding nerves.
 Angela Baker (l) with Julie Walters, Helen Mirren and Tricia Stewart |
She added: "It's ridiculous that Charles is a vicar and I am a registrar and we must have done thousands of weddings. But I was so excited. I was up all night. I couldn't sleep."
Mrs Knowles, who will revert to her Baker name for charity work, said her first husband would have been "pleased as punch".
Describing her new husband, she added: "He's a great guy. He has got a great sense of humour. He is very kind and considerate. He's just lovely."
Mr Knowles had been a family friend of Angela and her first husband, whom he met while at Sheffield University.
After John's death, the Church of England vicar sent Mrs Baker a letter and was very supportive throughout her grief. Their relationship developed from there.
The calendar has helped raise �1m for the Leukaemia Research Fund after the success of the film starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters.
Angela, whose character was played by Walters, starred as Mrs February in the calendar, in which she was seen decorating a cake with strategically placed hands and utensils.
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