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The world’s longest-serving lifeguard has revealed how he met his soulmate – and wife of 49 years – at work.
Chris Lewis, from Bournemouth, started working at the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) when he was just 16 years old.
And after 58 years, he not only earned a Guinness World Record for his efforts, but also a long-lasting marriage.
On Tuesday, the 74-year-old told Good Morning Britain that a chance meeting at work was love at first sight for him.
‘I spent three years at teacher training school in Birmingham and I went back to the local pool,” he told the presenters.
Chris met his wife Elaine, who is a volunteer lifeguard, at work and it was love at first sight.
“And I came out of the locker room and there was Elaine on the other end.”
Elaine, who is also a volunteer lifeguard, added that the couple celebrated their anniversary last week.
When Richard Madeley asked Chris what he could achieve at his age, the lifeguard admitted he could impressively swim 25m underwater and 25m on the surface in less than 50 seconds.
Chris also said he can run 250 meters on the beach in under 40 seconds, but added that it is difficult due to a previous rugby injury.
He can also swim 400 meters in a whopping six minutes and 45 seconds, a requirement for the job.
“I enjoy being a lifeguard, I enjoy being on the beach, it’s good to have it, but the main thing is to do it,” he said.
“For me, it was a case of I wasn’t feeling well when I left teaching and that kept me fit.”
Chris, however, added that some people “don’t think” when they go to the beach, and said he once saw a man on an inflatable holding a two-litre bottle of cider.
The couple celebrated their 49th wedding anniversary last Friday. Above: the couple on their wedding day.
“The sea… is a strange environment,” he said. ‘Do you think “what’s going on?” People just don’t think, they go to the beach and have fun.
“Our goal is for people to come to the beach and come home alive and having had a good time.”
When asked about his most memorable rescue, the experienced lifeguard recalled saving three children at once, but admitted it would be “really hard to know” how many people he has helped in total.
‘We had southeasterly winds at Bournemouth. One day I did my job very well, I talked to the public and the beach huts and (told them) to stay away from the breakwaters and this was before we used red and yellow flags,’ he said.
‘I’m about 200 meters away and I can see this group of children who seem to be approaching.
“So I went and went down and caught up with the mother who was (also) trying to get there.
‘Just as I got there, a wave picked up this 16-year-old girl and slapped her right at the end of the wooden jetty, with blood coming out of her nose.
‘(His) brother, who was panicking at the time, was clinging to the jetty and had lots of small cuts all over him.
‘And there was another brother who was adrift and panicking and I rescued three at once.
“As I walked down the beach everyone stood up and applauded, that’s why it stands.”