- Nick Dunn, from Ashington, touched down at Newcastle Airport at 11.30am
- He embraced relieved family members and said he was 'on cloud nine'
- Mr Dunn met Monalisa Das in a bar and the couple fell in love before his sentence
- Billy Irving was first of the Chennai Six to arrive back in UK on Wednesday
- Six jailed for unlicensed firearms and ammunition but sentences overturned
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Former British soldier Nick Dunn - one of the so-called Chennai Six - has revealed he found love while facing a trial in India.
Mr Dunn, Mr Dunn, from Ashington, Northumberland, has spoken about his relationship with girlfriend Monalisa Das after touching down at Newcastle Aiport this morning.
Along with five other British men, Mr Dunn had been a guard on a ship to combat piracy in the Indian Ocean, but were jailed in October 2013 after being charged with carrying unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
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Former British soldier Nick Dunn - one of the so-called Chennai Six - has revealed he found love while jailed in India for four years
Mr Dunn, from Ashington, touched down at Newcastle Airport at around 11.30 this morning, where he greeted his family
But he said he managed to survive the ordeal thanks to the support from his family and Ms Das.
The pair met while Mr Dunn was having a drink in a bar while on bail and she asked him about his tattoos.
Speaking to the MailOnline, he said: 'We had a normal relationship to begin with, she was lovely. We went to bars and restaurants like any normal couple. We had a lot of fun together.
'I told her all about my situation and she was very understanding.
'Once I was locked up again it was hard for us, but it meant the world to me that I had someone there in the country rooting for me. She got me through the very worst of times.
'She visited me religiously during visiting hours which were every fortnight, bringing all my post with her.
'That in itself was a great help, vital really, as the Indian postal system is not very good, and it meant I could keep in contact with everyone I needed to.'
Mr Dunn spent time with Ms Das after his release from prison last week following a successful appeal.
But yesterday the pair were forced to say goodbye to each other at Chennai International Airport.
Mr Dunn added: 'It was very emotional. As I was leaving India Monalisa was getting very upset.
'I told her that now I am free we will be able to speak to each other all day, every day, if we want to, on Skype but I know it is the physical contact that she wants.
'She always knew this day would come, but it's been hard. It was always my prerogative to come home, and she know that, but that doesn't make it any easier.
Speaking to the MailOnline, he said: 'We had a normal relationship to begin with, she was lovely. We went to bars and restaurants like any normal couple. We had a lot of fun together'
Dozens of cheering supporters were there to greet him as he walked into the terminal wearing a bright red jacket
Speaking to reporters, he said: 'I'm overwhelmed, staggered, on cloud nine - I'm the happiest man alive'
'It's great that I am home, but it's also sad. This is where is all begins in terms of a long distance relationship.
'It's early days and I do not know what is going to happen yet. Her moving over here would be a big decision.
'She has met my family and they all love her to bits. I have spoken to her dad and he wants me to go to Assam where she is from to meet the family. In some ways, it is up to him what happens.
'There are some cultural differences.'
Since landing in Newcastle today Mr Dunn has sipped champagne and visited McDonald's where he had an extra large Big Mac meal.
He spent his afternoon visiting friends and family and by 9pm he still had not managed to have a bath - one of the things he had most been looking forward to.
He said: 'When I was on bail I went to fast food places like KFC and Burger King, but they are not as nice as the UK versions. It was good to have a McDonald's.
'I am still on cloud nine. It has not sunk in. I feel like I am waiting to come down to earth.
'I don't know what my plans are yet, but I will stay in the country. It wouldn't be fair to leave and put my family through that again.
'I wouldn't have got through this without my sister Lisa who does not know the meaning of giving up.
'I still haven't had a bath. I can't wait.'
Their company AdvanFort has always insisted the men were protecting other ships from pirate attacks and had done nothing wrong.
But John Armstrong, 30, of Wigton, Cumbria, Ray Tindall, 42, of Chester, Billy Irving, 37, of Oban, Scotland, Paul Towers, 54, of Pocklington, East Yorkshire and Nicholas Simpson, 47, of Catterick, North Yorkshire were all jailed for the offences.
There were a series of appeals but none were successful until on November 27 a judge ruled they had been acquitted and were to be freed.
They were apprehended in 2013 after the Indian coastguard boarded their vessel, the MV Seaman Guard Ohio, and accused them of taking a huge arsenal of weaponry into territorial waters.
Mr Dunn said: 'It was quite hard at times. You have just got to knuckle down and get yourself into a routine and keep a good mental state, don't let stuff get to you.
'You're mixing with a different culture and a different way of life. The cell was clean but the communal toilets were disgusting. This is the best thing ever, to finally be back home with my family.'
Mr Dunn's sister Lisa, 37, campaigned tirelessly for his release since his ordeal first began in 2013.
Mr Dunn, one of the so-called Chennai Six, was jailed in India for weapons charges, which have since been dismissed
It follows the arrival of Billy Irving on Wednesday, who was the first of the Chennai Six to land back in the UK when he arrived at Glasgow Airport
Billy Irving was the first of the Chennai Six to land back in the UK and arrived at Glasgow Airport on Wednesday.
After being greeted by family he spoke briefly to reporters, saying: 'It feels excellent to be home.'
The other men are also expected to arrive in the UK on Thursday.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson previously said: 'It is wonderful news that the men are returning to the UK.
'The Foreign Office has worked unstintingly on this case, lobbying on the men's behalf, visiting them in prison, updating their families and maintaining close contact with their legal team.
'I pay tribute to those who have campaigned for the men, who will be delighted to see them return home after being separated for so long.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5155007/Nick-Dunn-second-Chennai-Six-return-home.html#ixzz50dXtvDuZ
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