Featured Image Credit: Channel 5
Topics: Sex and Relationships, Life, Parenting
Emily Brown
A 29-year-old woman who married a man 45 years older than her has opened up about the one fear she has about their relationship.
Lots of people in their mid-20s have relationships with people in their 70s, but typically it's a familial one with grandparents, or older parents.
For 29-year-old Stefani, however, the relationship she has with 74-year-old Don is instead one filled with romance.
The couple first met when Stefani was 20 years old and working in a pub, where Don came in for a drink.
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Recalling their first meeting in an interview with Love Don't Judge, she said: "I just thought he was so handsome and he was charming and super flirty.
"And I don't know, it just made me happy."
Don became a regular customer at the pub and before long they became more than friends, despite Don being the same age as Stefani’s late father.
Though the couple were happy, the relationship did cause issues with Stefani's family.
"They thought I was making a mistake", she said, while her mom expressed belief that Stefani was 'losing out on a chance to meet somebody that she could grow old with'.
But in spite of the concerns about their romance, the couple went on to get married and welcome a son, Lachlan, who is now a toddler.
The arrival of their son marked a happy time for the couple, but it has created one fear for Stefani: being left as a single mother.
At 74 years old, Don has already lost a number of friends and he's admitted that he's 'never been afraid' of death himself.
However, Stefani said: "I told him, I said, 'don't you dare die in your sleep. Oh, I'd be so mad. I'd be so mad. Don't do that to me.'"
Stefani has no regrets about their relationship though, and even claimed that everyone should date someone 45 years older than them.
The mom has been hit with allegations of being a 'gold digger' or sticking around for a 'life insurance check' due to her relationship with an older man, but she's pointed out she works full time to earn money.
Some people have even suggested Don might have been 'grooming' Stefani, but she brushed off the fears and said: "I really don't care what people on the street say about it."
The pair are open about their relationship, and say they have no reason to hide it.