She’s 93, soon to be 94, loves to get her hair “tizzed” and enjoys a good jitterbug.
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He’s 73, has recently beaten stomach and bowel cancer and boy, does he know how to cha cha.
Meet Daphne Partridge and Robert Threlfo, the couple whose video has gone viral after it made national television this week.
The pair was filmed at Maitland’s Inspirations Hair Design recently cutting a mean rug on the salon floor after Robert had just finished styling his long-time client’s hair. Salon manager Kira Ryan captured on video the moment Daphne asked Robert to dance to Elvis’ Blue Suede Shoes. She sent the video to Nine Network’s Today program and it on Tuesday afternoon it had received 218k views, 12k,likes and 1.5k shares.
Salon owner, Mr Threlfo’s daughter Helen Stuckings, said the dancing duo is gobsmacked with the reaction to the salon salsa.
Daphne, of Telarah, loves dancing and often turns on the music at home and dances while she does the housework. “I just can’t stop. I love to dance,” she said. “I’m so surprised at how people have responded to the video. It’s just a wonderful thing to be able to dance.”
The mother of two, grand mother of four and great grandmother of six said her secret to a long and happy life is simple. “My husband John never goes out without me and we never have a cross word. He helps me with everything,” she said.
But this feel good story doesn’t end there.
At age 44, Robert was made redundant while working as a labourer. He was illiterate, desperate for work and believed no one would employ him. “I said he should come and work for me at the salon which I’d opened a couple of years prior,” Helen said.
“Dad said he wouldn’t make it through TAFE because of his literacy problem. TAFE organised a tutor who taught him to read and write and he passed with a high distinction and became my apprentice in 1988.”
Last year he was diagnosed with stage one bowel cancer and stage two stomach cancer. After intense chemotherapy, major surgery and a weight loss of 40 kilograms, Robert is back at the salon two days a week and, like Daphne, loving life.