When Tony Jasper led 40 survivors to safety after the Paddington rail disaster he had no idea the woman he would eventually ask to be his wife was on the same train.

But on Valentine's Day, Mr Jasper tied the knot with Janice Vaughan, whom he met on a coach taking crash survivors to the Cullen Inquiry into the 1999 accident in west London.

Father-of-two Mr Jasper, who lived in Ashfields Close, East Hanney, near Wantage, at the time of the disaster, said: "We started a friendship as soon as we met, and some time later love blossomed."

Mr Jasper, who was given a bravery award by Prince Charles after the crash, said: "At the time we were both suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and it was refreshing to have a partner who understood it.

"Only psychologists understand its effects on people, and how when a sufferer is feeling much lower than you are, you need to put no stress on them at all to make them come back to feeling normal."

The pair, both divorced for some years, were complete strangers travelling in different coaches on the same train when the head-on crash occurred.

Both had two years off work as a result of the trauma. They have now moved to Earley, near Reading, so Mr Jasper can return to work as an electronics engineer.

The couple, both 52, married at Reading Register Office, arriving in a white Mercedes saloon.

Mrs Jasper wore a cerise floral hat with matching jacket and skirt and Mr Jasper wore a pink and white rose buttonhole.

Mrs Jasper's parents Frank and Phyllis Ellingworth and her sister Ann Hindmarch attended, along with friends and relatives. Mr Jasper's son Mark, 24, was in Australia.

Afterwards, Mr Jasper's daughter Claire Knight, 27, from Warfield, Berkshire, said: "They look really happy together.

"It's been quite a few years since the crash, but it's not something that ever goes away."