I’m engaged to someone who lives 7000 miles away – I send her £400 a month, people say I’m getting scammed but it’s love

A MAN, who sends £400 a month to his fiancée in Philippines, had to defend himself to his friend who was sceptical of the relationship and even suggested that he wasn’t the father of their young son.

Eternal bachelor Shaun, 41, met Filipino mum-of-four Christine, 42, online back in 2012.

They started dating in 2013 and have been in a long-distance relationship ever since.

Shaun said: “She makes me feel like I’ve won the lottery every single day.”

Before Christine, Shaun was single and was prone to bouts of loneliness.

He said: “When I come home from work, I usually say, ‘hello toaster, how’re you doing?’ or ‘hello kettle.’ And sometimes I jump in front of the mirror and say, ‘hey Shaun, how’re you doing?’

“It’s so funny when I look around and I’ve gone crazy on this loneliness.”

Speaking in the first episode of new series 90 Day Fiancé, Shaun recounted the moment he met Christine online nearly 10 years ago.

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He said: “We met in 2012 on social media; I clicked on her profile, and then when she accepted me as a friend we started corresponding back and forth.

“Then she started video chatting with me, I thought she was a good -looking girl and I thought how can a guy like this get a girl like that?”

Infatuated with her infectious, fun-loving spirit, Shaun was confident Christine was the woman of his dreams, even though he lived in Botley, Hampshire, and she lived nearly 7,000 miles away in Antipolo City, Philippines.

He said: “I like her quirkiness, I like how she acts silly, you know. But it’s just the way she is, she doesn’t care what people think of her. She just goes out and has fun.

“That’s what I love about her character, that’s what I love about Christine. The Queen herself, my future Queen.”

The long-term plan was for Christine to fly over and live with Shaun in the UK.

Shaun said: “Christine and I are applying for a visa for her to move and live here, so all I need to do now is send off the last bits of paperwork and fingers crossed, she should be here very, very soon,”

But for the time being – and for the past eight years of their relationship – Shaun will continue to financially support Christine by sending her money.

Christine said: “Shaun sends me money every month – around £400.

“The main priority, why Shaun is sending me money, is to support my needs and helps a lot to me and my whole family. I feel like I have financial freedom.”

Shaun, who works as a Cleaning Manager, explained that he couldn’t be sure of the exact figure, but the amount of money he’s sent to fiancé over the years is vast.

He said: “From all these eight years I’ve been with Christine, I wouldn’t know how much money I would have sent her.

“But all I know is it’s in the hundreds of thousands. It’s worth every penny.”

But his generosity leaves him with a lean budget for himself each month.

He said: “After I’ve sent Christine the money, there’s enough for me to pay my bills at least, and then when I look again, I’ve got about £50-£60 for myself, and that’s more than enough to see me through the month.”

Shaun’s financial arrangement with Christine has raised a few eyebrows from his friends and family.

He said: “When I started sending her money, my parents and all my friends started saying, ‘why are you sending her money?’

“But to be honest with you I don’t really care, I’m following my heart. It’s my choice. So, you either be part of me in the circle, or you’re not.”

In 2017, Shaun and Christine’s long-distance relationship welcomed a new arrival, when Christine gave birth to Shaun’s son.

Shaun said: “When I found out I was going to be a dad, the feeling was unbelievable. You can’t actually describe the feeling.”

Shaun has only met his son four times, something that he tearfully admits has been difficult.

But Shaun’s friends admitted to being sceptical about their relationship.

His closest friend Jimmy even suggested that Shaun may not be the father of their son Christian.

Jimmy said: “Yeah, what we’re doing is just looking out for you, Shaun. Just in case Christian isn’t yours.

“I know you’re going to look at me funny and say, ‘what the heck.’”

But Shaun insisted that there was a resemblance between him and the boy and that he didn’t need a DNA test.

Regardless of the criticism Shaun intended to move Christine over to the UK.

Christine said: “Shaun and I are hoping for the best future for Christian, not just for Christian but also for my other children.

“Shaun told me that once we are financially stable in the UK, he wanted also to bring my other children to live with us.”

90 Day Fiancé UK is available to stream on discovery+ from Sunday 24^th June.