DANCE fan Flora Julian thanked ballroom stars and friends after an emotional grand ball held in tribute to the love of her life Christopher Peach.

Around 200 dancers took to the Ocean Room’s newly polished floor at the Pavilion alongside ballroom champions on a night to remember Christopher who died following a five-year battle with Alzheimer’s.

At the ball Flora’s new dance partner Brian Sharrock read out a touching speech that she had written about the man she met in Dorchester in 1996.

Flora’s speech told how she still took time to talk to Christopher every day and missed him ‘terribly’ – describing him as ‘kind’, ‘generous’ and ‘an angel’.

She described difficult periods from Christopher’s early life when he was busy caring for his grandmother and his paralysed uncle.

Flora told how they fell in love and found happiness together in 1996 before she went on to care for him when he started suffering from Alzheimer’s in 2005.

Christopher died, aged 68, following a chest infection in January.

Flora, of Verlands Road, Sutton Poyntz, said: “Christopher was always smiling and happy so people did not realise how hard his life had been.

“After the dance they understood.

“A lot of people have said how the speech made them cry and they hadn’t known how unhappy he had been earlier in his life.

“In the 14 years he was with me he told me how happy he was but god or nature took that away from him.”

The night became a celebration of Christopher’s life with reigning British National professional Ballroom Champions Warren and Kristy Boyce taking to the floor for a foxtrot.

British youth champions Lawrence James and Aimie Leak also wowed the crowd with a rumba before both pairs took to the floor together for a final dance.

Both pairs performed to Celine Dion’s version of The Power of Love as it was Christopher and Flora’s song and they still listened to it together in his final years.

Flora said: “The song reminded me in a sad way of the end but I was happy to hear it and when they danced I imagined Christopher and myself dancing.”

Flora thanked representatives from the Ancient Order of Foresters for attending – Christopher was a member.

Flora singled out the Pavilion staff for the stripping and re-varnishing the Ocean Room Floor to help with the dancing and she thanked the caterers.

She added: “It was a lovely atmosphere to remember Christopher.”

Brian, 57, who helped organise the ball, added: “I was very pleased with the night as when you organise a function you always worry that things can go wrong but on the night everything came together.”