All couples see themselves as the perfect couple.

It is a romantic illusion.

Not all great unions begin with a spark and not all great couples look that way on paper.

Still, many unlikely duos defy the odds and end up in a happy union.

Their vastly different personalities made the union seem improbable but it worked out in the end and now, Miss Victoria Hoo and Mr Amet Nicolas are getting married this year.

Miss Hoo, 23, stated that having been entrusted with much responsibility in family businesses since she was 16, she is a very driven character who was always striving to succeed.

Meanwhile, it was Mr Amet's laidback and relaxed nature that caused Miss Hoo's parents to be initially unsupportive of the relationship.

A rebellious streak during his younger days added fuel to the fire.

It all came to a head one day when Miss Hoo decided it was time that they both earned their keep.

"I told him, you really have to start doing something with your life," she said.

Fast forward to today, Mr Amet, 24, is now a sales consultant dealing with cars, and according to Miss Hoo, has undergone a "180-degree turn".

Miss Hoo is an entrepreneur and owner of two fashion stores in Haji Lane.

Initially, her parents shut Mr Amet out as they did not know if it "was a serious relationship or not".

But now, everything's changed.

Currently engaged, the couple are set to tie the knot in April.

"He has really changed, and my parents have grown to really like him," said

Miss Hoo happily.

COINCIDENCE

They were born a dozen years apart but that did not hinder their marriage.

Couple Emile Goh and Ethel Gunn celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary four Novembers ago.

"It was such a wonderful occasion," Mr Goh, 90, recalled.

They met when Mr Goh was 34 and his future wife was 22 in an office building on Prinsep Street, where Mr Goh was learning Chinese.

"It was such a coincidence, as I had only just arrived from Penang and she from Malacca," Mr Goh said.

The chance meeting took place when both of them were in the country accompanying relatives.

Mr Goh said: "She was a lovely lady and has a wonderful personality."

The couple tied the knot two years later, despite the obvious age gap of 12 years, which Mr Goh described as only a small inconvenience.

Even less problematic were their differences in personality.

Mr Goh described his wife as having a very outgoing personality, while he prefers his solitude. Despite this and other differences, he feels that they complement each other perfectly.

Today, Mr and Mrs Goh are living happily having raised two children, a son and a daughter, as well as five grandchildren.

He said: "How wonderful is life that two people from completely different places find themselves meeting in Singapore one day and end up having a wonderful life together?"

GOING STRONG

Actress turned fashion designer Mary Kate Olsen, 27, has been dating a man 17 years her senior.

Oliver Sarkozy, half-brother of former French president Nicolas, is a 44-year-old banker based in the United States.

He met Olsen in 2012 and they are still going strong.

Olsen has claimed that "she would like to get pregnant'' with his baby.

REBOUND

Back in 2011, comedian Russell Brand went through a very public divorce from pop star Katy Perry.

But the 38-year-old is back. He was spotted with millionaire heiress Jemima Khan in London.

Khan, 39, is herself no stranger to high-profile splits.

Her marriage to Pakistani cricketer Imran Khan lasted nine years, before she spent the next three years dating British actor Hugh Grant.

Brand has had his bout of negative publicity through reports of his alcoholism, substance abuse and promiscuity in relationships.

Khan, meanwhile, works as a charity fund-raiser and human rights campaigner, and has a seemingly spotless record.

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