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Penny Umbers

Penny Umbers

Teenage sweetheart from Nottingham whose interracial love story with Mark Bethel went viral after they reunited 39 years later; featured on BBC World Service's Lives Less Ordinary podcast.

Aug 27, 2026

13:44
Oh.
13:45
But we kind of vaguely saw each other.
13:46
I think maybe a couple of weeks later, we, I think we went out for a drink in Kensington, and I remember once walking aimlessly around Hyde Park a few times, but he just wasn't physical with me really, and I just felt I was all, I just felt it was all me, that I was, you know.
14:06
He was such a attractive, nice man, and yet he didn't like, didn't seem to like me at all anymore.
14:11
And I just thought, "Well, you know, it's been a year and..." So we did see each other a few times, but I was just pining and pining for him to call, and he, he maybe called once a month or something.
14:21
And then eventually at the end of the winter term at Christmas, which is when I thought we'd move out to live together, I hadn't heard from him for weeks.
14:28
And then, and then the second time he came, and he told me that, uh, you know, it was over.

19 MINS LATER

33:42
That's literally pulling the rug from under somebody.
13:22
Oh.
13:22
But we kind of vaguely saw each other.
13:24
I think maybe a couple of weeks later, we, I think we went out for a drink in Kensington.
13:31
And I remember once walking aimlessly around Hyde Park a few times, but he just wasn't physical with me really.
13:39
And I just felt I was all, I just felt it was all me, that I was, you know...
13:44
He was such an attractive, nice man, and yet he didn't like, didn't seem to like me at all anymore.
13:49
And I just thought, "Well, you know, it's been a year and..." So we did see each other a few times, but I was just pining and pining for him to call, and he, he maybe called once a month or something.

18 MINS LATER

31:57
That's literally pulling the rug from under somebody.
13:41
Oh.
13:41
But we kind of vaguely saw each other.
13:43
I think maybe a couple of weeks later we, I think we went out for a drink in Kensington.
13:49
And I remember once walking aimlessly around Hyde Park a few times.
13:53
But he just wasn't physical with me really, and I just felt I was all, I just felt it was all me, that I was, you know.
14:02
He was such a attractive, nice man, and yet he didn't like, didn't seem to like me at all anymore.
14:08
And I just thought, "Well, you know, it's been a year, and..." So we did see each other a few times, but I was just pining and pining for him to call, and he, he maybe called once a month or something.

18 MINS LATER

32:33
That's literally pulling the rug from under somebody.

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