Hello! Lionel's dinner date surprise...

8:20am Wednesday 9th July 2008

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A COUPLE from Wirral celebrated one of the last evenings of their Caribbean honeymoon by dining with music legend Lionel Richie.

Newlyweds Dave and Julie Barnes were joined by the former Commodores star after being introduced by staff at the hotel they were all staying on luxurious Antigua in the West Indies.

“He was really nice, congratulated us on getting married, and when we half-jokingly invited him to join us for dinner he said yes!”

Dave Barnes

“A few nights before we were due to leave there was quite a commotion in the hotel lobby - all the staff seemed quite excited,” said Dave, from Moreton.

“We asked what was happening and they said Lionel Richie was coming to stay. Julie and I honestly both thought they were joking but sure enough, a huge car then swept up outside the reception, the door opened, and there he was. The following day we met him in the hotel lobby while we were chatting to the staff, and so we decided to say hello.

“He was really nice, congratulated us on getting married, and when we half-jokingly invited him to join us for dinner he said yes!”

Julie said: “I don’t think anyone at home could quite believe it until they saw the photographs.

“To be honest we could hardly believe it ourselves. Now Dave has bought Lionel’s greatest hits CD and can’t stop playing it!”

On returning home the couple, who married in Antigua, celebrated with friends and family at a private party at the new Tender Loins restaurant in Hoylake.