Pensioners jump to it on big day

Most people make their first jump a little earlier in life

An American couple in their eighties have marked their 60th wedding anniversary by making their first-ever parachute jump.

The McDaniels - Albert, 88, and Esther, 81 - were worried that "we don't do anything exciting anymore".

Although she is legally blind and he is going deaf, they took to their air after renewing their wedding vows in front of their grandson, a priest.

The couple have also tried whitewater rafting and parasailing.

The pair each jumped with an experienced parachutist from a skydiving centre in Greensburg, Indiana.

"I can't say I was scared at all," said Albert McDaniel, although the couple's son, Dennis, said he had been praying about the jump ever since April when they announced their decision to try something new.

Esther McDaniel admitted that she felt "weak in the knees" when the moment came.

"We woke up one morning and he said, 'We're boring'" Esther said.

So they contacted the Never Too Late Foundation, which arranges special events for the elderly.

"They were just made for each other," said lifelong friend, Mary Hershberger, who should know, as she was Esther's maid of honour at the couple's wedding in 1944.