David Said He Was Confused About His Feelings. I Didn't Realise He Meant He Was Mr Gay Auckland... ; Woman 'Duped' Into Relationship with Clergyman in Gay Wedding Stormtells How He Hid Truth About His Sexuality From Her...And the Church

Summary

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THE truth couldn't have dawned at a more inopportune moment. Alice Gower's boyfriend, Dr David Lord, was to become an Anglican deacon and, as a talented amateur opera singer, she had agreed to sing at his ordination ceremony. Although not a grand occasion, it was significant enough for David to feel the need to invite his best friend from London, a dapper 50-year-old chaplain at St Bartholomew's Hospital who had helped him adapt to life as a junior doctor when he'd lived in London two years earlier.

At first, Alice thought little of it. It seemed natural that David, then aged 25, would want his mentor, the Rev Peter Cowell, to witness his official entry into the ranks of the clergy.

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David Said He Was Confused About His Feelings. I Didn't Realise He Meant He Was Mr Gay Auckland... ; Woman 'Duped' Into Relationship with Clergyman in Gay Wedding Stormtells How He Hid Truth About His Sexuality From Her...And the Church

But when she gave Peter a welcome hug on the steps of the Cathedral Church of St Peter in Hamilton on New Zealand's North Island, Alice smelled a distinctive aftershave on his collar. She froze because it was the one David always wore.

Later, as the final notes of her solo trailed away and Alice looked down at the two men, sitting side by side, applauding her from the front pew, her suspicions about the reality of their relationship deepened. And that night it became obvious to Alice that David and the middle-aged British priest were in love and had been for some time.

That was in December 2005....

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