The Queen will not be alone in celebrating a platinum anniversary this year as a Suffolk couple will have been married for 70 years on Tuesday.

Denis Eaves, 91, married Betty Freeman in 1952 and their union is still going strong as they reach their platinum wedding milestone.

Mr Eaves met his 89-year-old wife after being introduced to her through her parents, who were regular visitors to a shop he managed, and they now live in Saxmundham.

The former RAF serviceman made a name for himself as an entertainer and stage magician and he appeared on a talent show hosted by the TV presenter Hughie Green.

He was also a pianist and organist, playing at old people’s homes and his magic act included a performance at the Ipswich Hippodrome.

He was born and bred in Sudbury, while Mrs Eaves was raised in Buckhurst Hill, in Essex, and they moved to Colwyn Bay in Wales where they developed a love of the beach and sea.

Mr Eaves had also spent some time living in Wiltshire during his national service.

Mrs Eaves was a dress maker for the Sudbury clothing store Winch and Blatch before becoming a housewife. In retirement, the couple have two caravans at a holiday park in Corton.

They have four children.

Their son Jonathan said: “They are very traditional in their outlook. They are very family orientated and have traditional values about the roles of husband and wife.

“My mum has never driven, for example, but my dad does and they also have a close-knit family that live in close proximity and we have always been there to help and support each other.

“They have always had a traditional approach and they have always been best friends, really, throughout their married lives.”

Mr Eaves has also raised money for the Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge after suffering heart attacks which required a quadruple bypass operation.