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Topics: Sex and Relationships
Gerrard Kaonga
Closing in on your 100th birthday, you would expect most couples would try avoiding any drama, but not this determined 99-year-old.
He demanded a divorce from his wife of 70 years after making a discovery about an affair that happened six decades ago.
Elderly couples that stick it out through the thick and thin of marriage are often what young newlyweds draw inspiration from.
But the story of a tense end of a relationship between a 99-year-old man and his 96-year-old wife has put into perspective the difficulties an affair can bring.
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The 2011 story of a 99-year-old Italian man, identified as Antonio C. through court documents, showed just how seriously he takes his marriage vows.
Just days before Christmas, the elderly man discovered that his wife, identified as Rosa C. had kept secret love letters she had received from a former beau in the 1940s.
Antonio then confronted his wife about it who confessed that she did in fact have an affair over 60 years ago.
That seemed to be the final straw as Antonio demanded the pair get a divorce and bring an end to their 77-year relationship.
According to local reports, the couple had amassed five children, a dozen grandchildren and even a great grandchild.
Understandably, Rosa attempted to convince him that there was no need to get a divorce as they had spent more of their lives together than apart. Antonio was unswayed and filed for divorce.
The love letters were found inside an old chest of draws and it was seemingly the last straw as the pair had maintained a rocky relationship for years at this point, according to reports.
This story has recirculated on social media and resulted in X users offering their opinions about the situation.
Many offered sympathy for the elderly man who had likely been heart-broken despite the affair taking place so long ago.
“Damn, this must break his heart so much that he can't stand the marriage again. Such a pity,” another wrote.
“He clearly took his marriage vows seriously, and that was a deep betrayal of trust. At a time in life when you are deeply aware of your own mortality and heightened sense of authenticity,” another added.
Others were able to find the more light-hearted side of the bizarre conclusion of the relationship.
“He’s still young and can bounce back from this. He can meet someone else and still have kids before he’s 103. He can focus on himself now. Maybe explore a new hobby, like golf, or perhaps plan his own funeral. The world is his oyster now,” one X user joked.