Two former best friends from Guiseley who met at school before drifting apart and becoming friends again 40 years later have been used as a case study on the dynamics of friendship.

Mollie Johnston and Jeanette Haughton, both 59, met in secondary school in 1965, and soon became best friends. When Jeanette lost her father at a young age this helped to bring them closer as did their habit of going through similar milestones at similar times.

But when they finished school keeping in contact became increasingly hard, particularly when Mollie got married and moved to the Middle East where she and her family continued to move around, and eventually the pair lost contact completely.

Mollie went on to have two daughters, Tamsyn and Sofia, and then in 1993 returned to the UK to live in Guiseley.

In 2002, Tamsyn brought home a friend called Louise. Mollie thought there was something familiar about Louise but couldn’t put her finger on what it was.

Tamsyn and Louise quickly became inseparable and it wasn’t long before Tamsyn was also introduced to Louise’s mum – Jeanette. Jeanette also saw something familiar in Tamsyn and asked her what her mum was called.

After Tamsyn confirmed that her mum was indeed Mollie Johnston, née Boothman, the estranged school friends were quickly reunited.

The pair’s story has now been used by Hallmark cards as part of its report into the dynamics of friendship, released earlier this month.

After speaking with the pair, the company found out that both Mollie and Jeanette had lumps removed from their breasts, both had lost their mothers on a similar date, both had chosen to move to Guiseley with their families and they had unknowingly been married just three weeks apart from one another.

“They had spent ten years within a few miles of each other, even shopping in the same supermarket, yet had never bumped into each other.

Relationship expert, Jenni Trent Hughes, part of Hallmark’s report, said: “Moving home can sadly mean the end of some friendships with a loss of contact and experiences shared creating a void.

“However, as Mollie and Jeanette’s story illustrates, advances in technology and the ability to communicate with friends and loved ones wherever we are in the world, should prevent this common challenge impacting today’s friendships.

“Mollie and Jeanette’s story is heart-warming and I’m so pleased the pair has been reunited and their friendship fully revived.

“It’s also great to hear that they are creating quality time to spend together – a key ingredient to ensuring any friendship withstands the test of time.”