Kerry McLean: My mum and dad were from Catholic and Protestant homes, married months after their first date and had a child within a year ... yet their love story stood the test of time

Kerry McLean and children Tara and Daniel with Kerry’s mum, Fern Turner, who was married to her late husband for more than 40 years

By Kerry McLean

It's a strange old world we live in, a world where famous people can influence what is or isn't in fashion. As a child of the Eighties, I had Madonna to thank for my fingerless lace gloves that ripped within seconds of putting them on, Cyndi Lauper for my multi-coloured ra-ra skirt that would have made even a stick insect look like it had a Kardashian-sized derriere and Demi Moore for inspiring me to crimp my hair, achieving a look otherwise attained only by accidental electrocution.

All questionable in the search for a stylish look, but nothing that had an enduring emotional impact on my life, bar the deep, ongoing embarrassment I feel when the kids dig out the photographic evidence to laugh over with their mates.

The most recent fashion inspired by the current crop of celebrities is a lot more life-changing and long lasting. Have you noticed there's been a real rash of overly filtered photos from the well-known and wealthy emerging on social media over the last few months, showing off ridiculously large diamond engagement rings?

But the most jaw dropping aspect of these proposals isn't the sizeable sparklers, but the speed at which the question was popped.

Singer Justin Bieber and his model bride-to-be, Hailey Baldwin, were engaged within a month of going out, and pop star Ariana Grande (right) has confessed she and her fiance were talking marriage and picking out rings after their first few dates.

Emmerdale's Roxanne Pallett, currently appearing in Channel 5's Celebrity Big Brother, revealed that she and her other half got engaged within just a week of meeting.

The most recent addition to the list of famous couples who are impatient to wed are Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra and 'world-famous singer' Nick Jonas (no, I couldn't mention a single song he's ever recorded either!), who held a massive party to celebrate their engagement.

The example set by these loved-up couples in the limelight has, we discovered this week, spurred others on to do likewise, but the facts and figures aren't hopeful reading for any youngsters hoping to pop the question somewhat prematurely.

Recent figures released by the US Census Bureau show that couples who dated for three or more years before tying the knot have a better chance of staying together, and those at the other end of the scale - with less than six months dating under their belt - are the most likely to divorce.

And the younger the couple, the higher the chance of their partnership perishing.

But it needn't be the tale of doom and gloom that the relationship experts and, indeed, the Census Bureau predict.

I know this to be true by looking at my own parents.

They met when my mum was 18 and my daddy was 22. They were married within four months, had a child within their first year and, just to add a bit of local, homegrown pressure into the pot, came from opposite sides of the fence - from Catholic and Protestant homes.

Unlike the doe-eyed celebrity couples, they didn't have millions to fall back on and instead worked hard, both at their careers and at their relationship.

Despite the trials and tribulations that life threw at them, they lasted the distance.

They grew up together, were each other's best friend and while couples around them sadly split and went their own way, they managed, somehow, to sail through together, defying the statistics that said they would never last.

The secret to their success? Well, they were both stubborn - I don't think 'give up' was in their vocabulary - but more importantly, they had a laugh together.

Even through the toughest of times together, they would make each other giggle, and there's nothing quite like a shared sense of humour to keep the lines of communication open.

So, best of luck to all these young, starry-eyed souls who're popping the question within moments of meeting. Sure, the cards are stacked against them but who knows, just like my parents, it may be the start of more than 40 wonderful, laughter-filled years spent together.