‘I’m 23 and my partner is 54 – my parents thought it was their fault and consulted a psychologist’

A 23-year-old woman has revealed her 31-year age gap relationship made her parents feel as though they’d done something wrong.

Veronica met her 54-year-old boyfriend Samuele just over a year ago during a work video call.

The pair immediately hit it off and, after meeting in person, knew their connection was true love.

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But the couple’s budding romance was not accepted by everyone, including Veronica’s mum who at 51, is younger than her daughter’s boyfriend.

“My parents were perhaps the biggest challenge,” Veronica told What’s The Jam.

“At first, they were shocked and incredulous.

“They couldn’t understand how I, so young, could fall in love with a man so different in age and life experiences.

“There were heated arguments, nights of silence, and tears.

“As often happens in such cases, it’s normal to feel some initial shock and to need time to process the situation.

“They did some online research to better understand the dynamics and even wondered if this choice might be tied to a lack of affection on their part.

“They also consulted forums with psychologists.

“But they never tried to stop me from seeing him and within a few weeks, they began to see things differently, especially after meeting Sam.

“They saw and understood the genuine feelings and deep connection between us.”

Veronica said that over time, her parents’ perspective changed and now they both accept Samuele, who is divorced and has no children, and support him.

She said: “We travel together, have family dinners, and share moments of joy as a family.”

But Veronica said it wasn’t just her parents’ opinions that caused problems during the early stages of their relationship.

Strangers and online trolls made their feelings known too.

She said: “The looks, the comments, the judgments have been with us from the very beginning.

“To the haters, we always respond the same way – happiness has no age, and love cannot be measured by other people’s opinions.

“Many people use social media to vent their own unhappiness and spread negativity.

“When our videos went viral on TikTok, we were flooded with all kinds of comments – from the classic ones like “daddy issues”, “either he’s rich or he’s Rocco”, “he’s her father”, or “he’s her grandfather”, to much harsher remarks.

“Those were difficult moments, but we wanted to be a source of support for people – both men and women – who were in similar relationships.

“Since then, we’ve received messages every day from people living through stories like ours.

“Many write to us because they are keeping their relationships hidden from their parents or families and are looking for advice.

“They thank us for giving them the strength to believe in their own love stories.

“Some have even taken the big step of making their relationships public.

“Negative comments will always exist, but even the haters are often called out by our followers, who understand that our goal is simply to normalise love stories that fall outside the conventional mold.”

Veronica and Samuele, who both work in digital communications, first got chatting on a professional call.

Veronica said: “That call, initially formal, soon turned into something more.

“It wasn’t just professional dialogue flowing effortlessly – there was a special connection, a natural understanding I had never experienced.

“Working together on several projects brought us closer and closer.

“We would talk for hours, discovering shared tastes, similar ways of thinking, and a vision of life that seemed almost perfectly aligned.

“In no time, we realised how deep this connection was.

“It felt as if we shared the same emotions, the same mind.”

As the pair are both from Italy – Veronica from Turin and Samuele from Tuscany – they eventually decided to meet up.

Veronica said: “The curiosity and desire to meet in person were too strong to ignore.

“When we saw each other for the first time, we realised that what we had felt behind a screen was not just imagination.

“The physical connection was just as powerful as the mental and spiritual one.

“It was love, pure and simple, born without any force or pressure.”

The couple have since moved in together and say they’ve learned to “protect” their love.

Veronica said: “We ignore those who don’t understand that we are two consenting adults who are, above all, happy.

“Unfortunately, we live in a world where prejudice weighs heavier than understanding.

“Life is a one-of-a-kind gift, a miracle that deserves to be lived with all your heart, every single day.

“Loving life means accepting it as it is, without conditions, without expectations.”

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