Valentine's Day: Tales of romance from St George's

Published: 14 February 2024

As the romantics among us will know, 14 February is Valentine's Day. As well as being a hotbed of scientific, medical and healthcare rigour, St George's, University of London has also been the source of many matrimonial as well as pedagogical breakthroughs over the years as alumni couples Ruben and Emily Thumbadoo, Alison and Ben Inglis, and Antonia and Guy Harris have shared with us.

Ruben and Emily Thumbadoo

"Chatting during some Students' Union Discos"

Emily says, "I studied Medicine at St George's from 2010 to 2016 while Ruben studied Biomedical Science and then Graduate Entry Medicine from 2010 to 2017. We have been together since April 2011 so coming up to 13 years.

"We first knew of each from being in the same cohort starting at St George's, and had been introduced through friends. We got to know each other better after chatting during some Students' Union Discos, and started dating.

On one of our first dates, we collected an Indian takeaway from Lahore Curry House to take back to Halls, but didn't pick up the second bag, so I ended up with Ruben's very spicy curry and not my normal korma.

- Emily Thumbadoo -

"We both worked behind the SU bar with Rich and Kenton from 2nd year onwards and have lots of happy memories working events together!"

"We got married in 2020 and have had two beautiful daughters"

"I left St George's a year before Ruben and moved to Coventry for two years, while Ruben moved to North London on graduating so we lived apart for a time having lived together for four years at university.

"On completion of foundation years, we lived together in North London, and then moved up to Oxfordshire where we have been ever since."

After getting engaged in New York in 2018, we got married in 2020 and have subsequently had two beautiful daughters in 2021 and 2023.

- Emily Thumbadoo -

"As they say opposites attract"

"We were very different people at St George's, Ruben was very confident, outgoing and the life and soul of the party while I was more shy and reserved but, as they say, opposites attract."

We've remained strong friends with many from our time at St George's - four of Ruben's groomsmen and my maid of honour were from playing Rugby and musical society friends respectively!

- Emily Thumbadoo -

Alison and Ben Inglis

"We really hit it off just as friends initially!"

Alison says, "We started at St George's in 1994, the university was smaller back then and it didn't take long to meet everyone in the year.

We met at a Toga party during Freshers. In halls the bedding was provided at the time and the sheets were a delightful shade of brown, so everyone was wearing their brown sheets as togas!

- Alison Inglis -

"We met that evening and really hit it off just as friends initially!

"We got together as more than friends on 1 March 1995 during first year. We lived together in a shared house in Fishponds Road in 2nd year before moving to a flat on Coverton Road until we finished. It was great fun!

"We got engaged in a curry house in our final year"

"We went to New Zealand together on our elective midway through our studies and, on arrival at the hospital where we were sent to, we were sent off to take our own MRSA swabs in the toilets. We were too busy fiddling with the swabs to notice the small earthquake that happened while we were there.

We got engaged in a curry house in our final year once we'd returned to London. Ben popped the question over a biryani with all of our friends there. I said yes, obviously.

- Alison Inglis -

"Since leaving George's in 2000 (we all survived a New Year's eve party where we were all convinced the millennium bug was going to be the end of the world as we knew it!) we bought a house in Horsham in our house job year, and got married in Oxford on 5 May 2001 with many George's folk there.

"I went straight into GP training and Ben initially went into Gastroenterology."

We moved to Hampshire and had our two girls - Emma in 2003 and Phoebe in 2005. I qualified as a GP in 2006 and Ben changed from Gastro to GP training in 2007.

- Alison Inglis -

"Hoping to keep the NHS going"

"We still live in Hampshire, and are both still GPs in different practices although we both do various other medical bits on the side as well. Our eldest, Emma, is 20 and studying medicine (although not at George's unfortunately) which is the biggest compliment you can have - that your child aspires to do what you do.

"Our youngest, Phoebe, is 18 and is working at my GP Practice doing admin with the aim of climbing the NHS management ladder."

As you can tell, we are hoping to keep the NHS going for a bit longer!

- Alison Inglis -

"Warm, friendly and supportive"

We reflect so very fondly on our time at St George's. It is such a close community and when we were there it was so small you knew everyone. It was warm, friendly and supportive. We made friends for life and keep many of those people close to us now.

- Alison Inglis -

"It was a great course and professionally it enabled us to work where we wanted to, and the competence to do it with confidence."

Antonia and Guy Harris

"We had a connection"

Antonia says, "I was at St George's from 1992 to 1998 while my husband was there from 1985 to 1990. We met at Frimley Park Hospital, where I shadowed his houseman, and another St George's alumnus, Ben Rogers in November 1997.

We had a connection but were both going out with other people at the time so nothing happened, but he did offer to give me teaching before finals.

- Antonia Harris -

"We did have some teaching sessions together and when I rung him up on finals day to tell him that I was a doctor he invited me out to dinner to celebrate, that was June 1998. We have been married since September 2004 and have three boys who are now nearly 15, 16 and 18."

"I had the time of my life at St George's"

"I became a GP (after a small stint in anaesthetics) and did my training around Chichester.

After our first son was born in 2005, I did the maternity leave of another St George's alumna, Dr Rachel Pembury (now Jameson), after which they offered me a permanent post.

- Antonia Harris -

"I've been working at Selsey Medical Practice ever since and we live in Bosham, West Sussex.

"My husband became a Colorectal surgeon and works at St Richard's Hospital in Chichester. He works with several St George's alumni from his year and the year above - Angela Skull, Guy Slater, Mark Bentley - while Ben Davis (from the year below) lives around the corner. Both of us keep in touch with a lot of friends from university."

I had the time of my life at St George's. Those six years were such fun.

- Antonia Harris -

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