'Someone with autism and someone with Down syndrome can have a relationship': The Manchester couple celebrating their love in an extraordinary way

Intimate relationships between people with disabilities are rarely depicted on stage or screen. What is left behind in that gaping chasm are thousands of lives, each with stories of their own, about how love has touched and shaped them.

Christina Kitromilides and Jeff Lamb are one such couple. They met five years ago in Chorlton through a community drama group, and have been together ever since. Christina has Down syndrome and Jeff is autistic, and they support each other with their disabilities as well as with all of life’s other challenges.

They are chronicling their love in a play aptly called My Darling , which is described as an ‘exploration of emotions, sexual desire, and physical restrictions through movement, live dialogue, and digital footage,’ and will be taking place at Pearl Mill in Stockport on the first weekend of July. The play is a depiction of their relationship during lockdown, which kept them apart due to government restrictions for months at a time.

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“The message is that someone with autism and someone with Down syndrome can have a relationship,” Jeff told the Manchester Evening News .

“It’s about people with learning disabilities, their love for one another, and their respect for one another.”

Drama was the activity that brought the two together - they told the M.E.N it felt special to be able to use it to explore and show off their relationship, especially during their challenging days apart over lockdown.

When they met in 2017, Christina said she thought Jeff was “nice looking” and asked him out on a date.

“I had a crush on him!,” she giggled. “He was kind and a nice person…and he had a sexy body!”

The pair are