A 24-year-old woman dating a man 29 years her senior says strangers have mistaken him for her dad and even grandad – while trolls brand him a “nonce”, “pedo” and accuse her of having “daddy issues”.
But Hyrie Thompson insists the criticism has only made her more certain about her future with 53-year-old Lee Graham.
The couple have been together for just six months but were already discussing children within the first few weeks of dating.
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Lee even told Hyrie that if they had met sooner, he would have wanted a “football team of babies” with her.
They are now talking about having a child as soon as 2027, marriage and eventually buying their dream home together.
“It was a couple of months into our relationship where we had the discussion about children while out for dinner,” Hyrie, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, told What’s The Jam.
“We’ve not discussed the marriage part much as I want him to propose when he’s ready, when he wants to,” she said.
“As long as we are happy and solid and the goal is marriage, that’s good enough for me,” she said.
“I’ll be sure to give my friends some pointers on what I’d like.”
The couple met at the gym last year before getting together in April.
Hyrie, a body sculpting and lymphatic drainage specialist, says their 29-year age difference meant they felt they needed to be unusually upfront about the future from almost the beginning.
“Although we’re only six months in, it is important to be transparent with our large age gap,” she said:
“We just want all the usual things people want from any relationship.”
Hyrie plans to spend 2027 concentrating on growing her business before the couple start trying for a child, potentially towards the end of that year or perhaps in 2028.
Conversations around marriage are, however, a little less frequent.
The couple says their age difference barely registers to them.
But other people regularly notice.
Hyrie says Lee has been mistaken for her father on several occasions, or worse, her grandfather.
“It’s usually in shops or if we go to various meetings with one another,” she said.
“He’s even been mistaken for my grandad.
“Then you get the people who just give you funny looks when we’re hand in hand or being affectionate on date night.”
One particularly awkward encounter came when Lee accompanied Hyrie to an appointment early in their relationship.
“The lady was like, ‘Is this dad?’,” said Hyrie.
“I replied, ‘No, he’s my partner.’
“She was mortified.
“When the appointment was over, she apologised again and was like, ‘You guys make a lovely couple; you look so good together.’
“It was quite funny.
“Lee was embarrassed by that one, but since then he laughs it off.”
Online comments have been positive, but still carry the usual unpleasant stereotypes that come along with age-gap relationships.
“I think the positive has outweighed the negative,” said Hyrie.
“The negative is always the same – nonce, pedo, daddy issues, gold digger.”
The “gold digger” accusation particularly amuses her.
Hyrie says she is fiercely financially independent, and earns more than Lee.
She said: “I think it’s really funny that people just automatically assume that me being with an older man is purely for financial benefit.
“Like people can’t fathom that I simply have just found somebody who treats me like a princess and whom I love.
“I’ve always been very independent when it comes to money and making my own money, and my body sculpting business is something I take great pride in.”
Lee already has children of his own.
Hyrie says she gets on well with them and that hearing Lee talk proudly about being a dad was actually one of the things that first attracted her to him.
She said: “Lee was a very charming and confident person from the moment I met him.
“He also is a very proud father and was always speaking about his children, which I found very heartwarming.
For Lee, the attraction was immediate.
“I just had this feeling of electricity, this vibe with Hyrie,” said Lee, a PT and boxing coach.
“She brings out the best in me and has always made me feel safe to be myself.
“I’m really daft, and she embraces that and is my biggest fan in life.”
Hyrie was brought up by her grandparents and says one even joked they could never imagine her being with somebody her own age anyway.
The couple says their different ages do not create the dynamic outsiders might expect.
If anything, Lee jokes that Hyrie is usually the grown-up.
Hyrie wants to build her body sculpting work and eventually open her own studio, while she pushes Lee to promote his PT and boxing coaching online.
She said: “We both want each other to thrive individually as well as together.
“We are big on communication and it is refreshing to be in a relationship with a man who is emotionally intelligent.
And the couple are already picturing the house they hope to raise their family in.
Hyrie said: “We often drive through neighbourhoods with nice big houses and I always say, ‘One day’, as in this will be our life someday.”
Despite the online abuse and awkward assumptions, she insists the 29-year gap is everybody else’s problem, not theirs.
Hyrie added: “If you’re in love with someone it is just that – love.
“Age doesn’t make a difference to us.
“It is everyone else who sees the age gap.
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