But the tragic romance between Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in the movie blockbuster Titanic might not have been fiction.

Today a relative of a Titanic survivor said the inspiration behind one of the greatest on-screen love stories came from a real-life account of love and sacrifice that took place on the doomed 1912 ship.

Joanna Wood said her great aunt, Roberta Maioni, was a maid who fell in love with a young steward who sacrificed his life for her as the ship sank.

After the White Star Line ship struck an iceberg on the evening of April 14, 1912, the steward gave up his lifejacket and his place on a lifeboat for his 21-year-old lover.