Coronavirus: Doctor and nurse tie the knot in London hospital

A doctor and nurse, who were forced to cancel their wedding due to the coronavirus pandemic, have tied the knot at the hospital in London where they both work.

Jann Tipping, 34, and Annalan Navaratnam, 30, from Tulse Hill, South London, planned their wedding in August, but feared their families would not be able to travel from Northern Ireland and Sri Lanka because of Covid-19, Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital said on their website on Wednesday.

Instead, the couple - who work at St Thomas' in London - decided to exchange vows as soon as possible, accepting their guests would have to watch remotely.

A doctor and nurse from St Thomas’ who had to cancel their wedding due to the #coronavirus outbreak have got married in the hospital’s historical chapel.

Read about Jann and Annalan’s special day and why it meant so much to them to tie the knot at work https://t.co/ECH4nJuBSo pic.twitter.com/tz6T0jj2Bi

— Guy's and St Thomas' (@GSTTnhs) May 26, 2020

They sought permission to have a private ceremony in the Grade 2-listed chapel at the hospital, which has features dating back to when St Thomas' opened on its current site - opposite the Houses of Parliament - in 1870.

Jann, an ambulatory emergency nurse, said they were "so grateful" to the chaplaincy team, who "went the extra mile to make it possible" during the pandemic.

"We wanted to have the ceremony while everyone was still healthy, even if it meant our loved ones having to watch us on a screen," she said.

"We wanted to make sure we could celebrate while we were all still able to," she added.

"A date was set within two weeks and we hadn't bought my dress, our rings and other things we needed, so we rushed to get everything done quickly."

Annalan, an acute medical registrar, who has been working at St Thomas' for a year, said they "wanted to get married from the moment I proposed."

"We're so happy that we've been able to commit ourselves to one another, and that the hospital has been able to support us to do that," he said.

Reverend Mia Hilborn, head of spiritual healthcare at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, conducted the ceremony on Friday, April 24, with just two witnesses present.

"At such a challenging time for staff, as chaplains we strive to offer as much support as we can. I was delighted to be able to get special permission to marry Jann and Annalan in the beautiful chapel at St Thomas’. It was a lovely service and I was thrilled to be part of it," the report quoted her as saying.