A VICAR and his bride-to-be have spoken of their excitement at their impending marriage, two years after a Guardian campaign to help find him a wife.

Rev Robert Hampson, of the Holy Trinity Church in South Woodford, and fiancée Florence Adams, of Leyton, are due to tie the knot later this year after a whirlwind romance.

Rev Hampson, 50, was catapulted into the national spotlight in January 2008 when this newspaper put out an appeal for women in the borough to go out with the dashing but lonely 6ft Essex boy.

After a string of dates, Redbridge's most eligible bachelor finally began dating Florence, 43, last summer and has not looked back since.

"We were in Elachi restaurant in Leyton last Tuesday when we finally decided to get married. We were so excited about it the waiter was the first person to find out," said Rev Hampson.

"It was so lovely, but it did quite take me by surprise when he suggested it," said Ms Adams.

The couple have known each other since 2001 when Ms Adams first visited the church with her sister, who is a member of the congregation.

Ms Adams was so impressed with Rev Hampson she began attending the church too.

She said: "There was something about his sermons and his aurora. He was so honest and so approachable. It was very refreshing."

But Ms Adams, who moved to the UK from Ghana at the age of nine, never expected the pair would end up as a couple because of their cultural differences.

But when the Guardian campaign got going, everything began to change.

Rev Hampson said: "It really focused my mind. I don't think it would have happened otherwise. It also let some women know I wasn't interested in them.

"The meals I had with the women were all very nice, but I don't think any of them were quite suitable for me."

Ms Adams said: "I just went with the flow as it was happening. There were times when it was amusing and there were times when it made you cringe."

But with the Reverend's high-profile single life being advertised, the pair soon found themselves being drawn closer together.

"There was one occasion at a singing event when I noticed another man eyeing her up. I found myself getting quite jealous," said Rev Hampson.

And in the summer they began dating, and one year on are due to marry at Holy Trinity this autumn.

But there is one more obstacle the happy couple must overcome.

"I still have to go round to Florence's father's house on Friday to ask his permission, hopefully he'll say yes," joked Rev Hampson.