Nun quits celibacy streak of 24 years after falling in love

A nun from the UK broke her 24-year celibacy after falling in love and marrying a monk.

Sister Mary Elizabeth from Preston had been living as a nun since she was 19. Beforehand, she was known as Lisa Tinkler.

In 2015, Robert, a Carmelite monk from Oxford, visited Mary Elizabeth's convent. Little did she know, her life was about to change.

She checked on him and asked whether he wanted anything to eat. When he left the room, she recalled their sleeves brushing and feeling "something of a jolt."

"I just felt a chemistry there, something, and I was a bit embarrassed. And I thought, gosh, did he feel that too. And as I let him out the door, it was quite awkward," she told the BBC.

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It turned out Robert felt the same.

A week later, he wrote her a note asking her to leave the order and marry him.

Tinkler recalled feeling "a little bit shocked," adding: "I wore a veil, so he never even saw my hair colour. He knew nothing about me, really, nothing about my upbringing. He didn't even know my worldly name."

She plucked up the courage and walked out, putting her "pants and a toothbrush in a bag" and never looking back.

According to the outlet, the pair are now happily married and reside in the village of Hutton Rudby, North Yorkshire.

Robert revealed that he received a letter from Rome acknowledging that he was no longer a member of the Carmelite order. He's since been made a vicar of the local church. Meanwhile, Tinkler works as a hospital chaplain.

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