Chinese love story tempts Weston's Father Christmas out of retirement
For more than two decades years Rex, Weston-super-Mare's best Father Christmas impersonator, has been bringing festive cheer to youngsters everywhere.
His role saw him appear at Royal Parade in Windsor in 1994, in a BBC documentary in Finland in 1988 and he was voted as the best Father Christmas in Europe in 1999.
Following ill health Rex retired last year, hung up his red-and-white suit and shaved off his white beard, which had been growing for 19 years.
But now almost a year on, he has found a new lease in life, his beard is back to come out of retirement and he is getting married to a Chinese bride.
He will be working in Weston's grotto in the High Street from November 19, for four days and hopes to have a new Mrs Christmas in December.
Rex said: "I was at a party with one of my daughters, Sherry, 36, last New Year's Eve when I met Wang Hong, 44, and we clicked straight away.
"Her English name is Eva.
"She was over in the UK from Chang Sha, which is in the Hunan province of China, with her niece Ting Ting.
"We got talking, there were no romantic feelings but she put me in a good mood and she cried when she had to leave. But we stayed in touch writing and calling each other everyday and in the third week of September I went out there for three weeks.
"I had been so depressed but when I got on that plane it lifted and I have been on top of the world ever since.
"Meeting her has been the best thing to happen to me. I had a wonderful time and met her 17-year-old daughter Ning Ning.
"The doors in my life have opened again. It was like we were meant to be, she did not leave my side for the whole three weeks taking me everywhere.
"I even climbed a mountain and that is where I proposed after getting down on one knee.
"I just can't explain my feelings, I just fell in love.
"Her name Wang Hong means red of the sunset and we watched the sun go down together many times, it was so romantic. I feel like a 16-year old again and the world is my oyster. I have a whole new philosophy in life.
"Eva is coming over before Christmas after she has been to the British Embassy for interview and she is applying for a visa to wed and to settle.
"There's nothing I would want more than to marry her before Christmas if possible but if not it will be in the New Year.
"We will then have a Chinese wedding next August and I'll be taking my sons Romulus, 15, and Klaus, 11, out there with me.
"They are so excited; they adore her and are both ecstatic we are getting married, along with my daughters Sherry and Shora-Jain.
He said he had so many requests for Christmas he decided to come out of retirement and began growing his famous beard in July.
"And it is coming on well," he said.
"I will be in the Weston grotto from November 19 for four days and possibly the Sovereign Centre afterwards."
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