A HELENSBURGH octogenarian who thought she would never fall in love again is now engaged after a bus trip and a stuck seatbelt.

Helen McAllister, 84, took a trip to Oban at Christmas 2015 and two years after a chance encounter with the stranger on a bus, is engaged once again.

Helen met Philip McCusker, 89, after he sat next to her on the bus trip, but it wasn’t love at first sight. In fact Helen thought it was “cheeky” of him to sit beside her, but admitted the bus was unusually busy.

The pair sat together in silence for two hours and when the bus stopped for a break Philip, a retired cartoonist, offered to lend a hand when Helen’s seatbelt got stuck.

Retired nurse Helen recalled the day they met. She said: “Imagine the cheek of that, sitting next to me.

“The first time he ever put his hands on me, it was because I couldn’t get my seatbelt unfastened on the bus – I nearly died.

“He is 6ft 2 and had lovely silver hair. He helped me with it and we started talking.

“Phillip came and sat beside me and we had a very nice companionship from then on.”

But Helen insists it wasn’t a whirlwind romance.

She said: “There was no flash of romance or anything like that at the beginning. He gave me a bottle of champagne and I phoned him to thank him.”

The pair have enjoyed each other's company, going for lunches and watching the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

The couple enjoy travelling and together they have been to Ibiza, Portugal, Edinburgh and London.

But despite a lifetime of adventure neither of them had been on a sea plane and they wanted to give it a go.

Last month the couple went on their adventure, flying off from Cameron House at Loch Lomond after getting a glass of champagne from the pilot.

Helen said: “The sea plane was lovely, it was super and a smoother journey than I thought. It was a lovely present. It was so romantic, I felt like a movie star.”

The couple got engaged in Helen’s flat in Clyde Court this year and are enjoying their time together.

Helen told the Advertiser: “Never in a month of Sundays did I think I would meet anyone at this stage of my life. He’s lovely and always well dressed and I’m having an absolutely fabulous time.”

Helen visits Philip in Glasgow twice a week and he phones her twice daily. The pair are looking forward to more adventures together.

When asked if there were any plans to get married, Helen said: “We’ll see what happens."