If music be the food of love, play on, says Rowan Mantell,introducing a talented couple from Wymondham

As a little girl growing up in Wymondham, Megan King loved dancing for her family. It was the start of a career and a love story which spans the world.

Ballet dancer Megan, and her opera singer partner Nico Darmanin, met on the set of romantic opera and now tour the world. But between engagements they love returning to Norfolk. Megan has danced for royalty and both have performed in some of the top venues around the world. And this month Nico is a finalist in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition.

Megan has danced as long as she can remember: “I was always creating dances and then performing them to my family. I was quite the show-off as a little girl!”

She followed her elder sister to dance school and says their parents can dance too. “My dad has got some moves and Mum has got a swing in her hips with the right music!”

She trained with the Central School of Dancing and Performing Arts in Norwich and ballet schools in London and Birmingham. Here she danced for Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and then went on to perform with ballet companies around the world. “A couple of years ago I was one of four girls to be flown out to Dubai for one night, to dance a ballet piece for the Sheikh. That was surreal!”

Nico grew up in Malta and says: “I was always fascinated by Pavarotti’s voice and as a boy I used to try to imitate him.” He won a scholarship to the Royal School of Music in London and says: “Today opera and Megan are my life!”

Remembering the day they met, says: “It was one of the most exciting days of my life. It was my Royal Opera debut and, after a fabulous show, one of the stunning ballerinas came up to me and asked in the cutest of accents whether I would join the group for a drink later in the evening! It felt like Megan and I had known each other forever. I was impressed by her strong presence and taken away by her beauty.”

This month Nico represents Malta in final 20 of the televised BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. And one day the young couple would love to perform in Norfolk – perhaps with a collaboration of Nico’s singing and Megan’s dancing.