Student who began dating man, 58, when she was 16 says people point at them in public, call them sick and brand her a gold digger
A WOMAN who is 42 years younger than her boyfriend has revealed how people point at them in public, call them sick and brand her a gold digger.
Urszula, 19, first started dating her partner Nigel, 61, when she was 16 and he was 58.
The loved-up couple, who have been together for three years, first met when Urszula - who is from Warsaw in Poland - visited family in the UK in August 2016.
Nigel, who is from Oxford, is a friend of her aunt, and attended a dinner party thrown in her niece's honour.
Urszula found herself feeling drawn to Nigel, and when her aunt began having problems with her partner, they went and stayed with him for the rest of her trip.
She revealed that they bonded over a passion for rock music, and it wasn't long before she developed feelings.
"I became quite obsessed with him,” said Urszula.
“I could stare at him while he was talking, watch him endlessly doing something.
"I even remember when I secretly slipped into his room where he had his wardrobe just to try on his clothes and feel his smell.
"At that time, he was absolute perfection for me, and he is still now."
It was wasn't long before she told him she had feelings, but he said he needed time to think.
A few days later when he took her to the airport to fly home, they shared a kiss.
But back in Poland, Urszula's parents - who themselves have a 17-year age gap - were unhappy about the budding romance and tried to force her to cut it off by taking away her phone and internet.
However, the pair managed to keep in touch over FaceTime, and after she finished school she moved to the UK in June 2018 to be with him.
Their relationship has now been accepted by her parents who now welcome Nigel into their family home for holidays.
“My parents mean a lot to me. They were always there when I needed them," she said.
"When such important people in my life are showing massive disapproval of my relationship it hurts badly.
"In the end I knew deep inside me that no matter what they will accept this and I was right, they only needed time. Today they are fully accepting and are happy for me."
This acceptance has not extended to strangers who point, stare and laugh at the couple when they are out in public.
Urszula has been called a "gold digger", while Nigel has been branded a "sugar daddy".
She explained: “The only real difficulties that have arisen due to our relationship are people's opinions and actions.
"They describe our relationship as controversial and sick. They will make nasty comments, stare at us or point fingers in our direction.
“We had a situation in Victoria's Secret where everyone was staring at us, but particularly a group of girls around 17 years old. They were chatting about us and giggling.
"Another situation took place in a jewellery shop where people assumed that he is a rich sugar daddy trying to spoil his sugar baby.
"There was quiet gossiping and the store staff tried to show absolutely everything to me to make my ‘sugar daddy’ buy a lot."
Urszula says "love is stronger than anything" calls on people to understand that we are all different and living our own lives.
“Criticism is a kind of humiliation and it’s a very terrible way to humiliate someone," she said.
"In my case the most important thing was to start with building strong confidence and self-consciousness.
"Now I can finally say that it does not matter what people will say. I will live my own life.
"Only you, yourself know who you love, how you feel and what is best for you.
“To everyone who criticises our relationship. You are fully entitled to your opinion as long as it is not abusive and harmful.
"Pointing with fingers on the street and shouting out loud is not the way to express opinion or disagree on something."
Urszula and Nigel, who have lived together for over a year, have decided they don't want children.
Nigel has none of his own from previous relationships, while Urszula doesn't want any kids to experience the same stigma she endured with age-gap parents.
“In the future we want to get married and simply live together," she said.
"We want to create our own house and make it a place full of love and respect.”
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