One NZ TikToker’s relationship has gone viral, with many people thinking that her partner is her dad…
During a night out back in June 2021, 22-year-old, former Miss NZ finalist Brightnye Quayle first met her partner 57-year-old, James.
Despite having a rather large 35-year-old gap, the couple fell in love and have just recently celebrated their 1st anniversary.
Although claiming that their relationship happened very naturally, James said: "Obviously it took a bit of time, because of our age gap. It was a big problem for us at the start."
He continued: "We kept thinking, this is crazy, we should stop this nonsense. But we couldn't stay away from each other."
"We truly love each other, and that's all that matters at the end of the day."
The loved-up pair now live together in Queensland and have decided to share their relationship with thousands online.
In one of the first videos posted to their TikTok account @agegap50, the couple talk about their 35-year age gap.
“Yeah, we get the age difference is a big gap, but he looks 29, and I’m 22,” says Brightnye.
That’s a bit of a stretch, but I think they know that.
Unfortunately for the couple, they have received a large amount of criticism in the comments of their social media posts.
Many of the comments suggest that Brightnye is a "gold digger" with plenty of “he must be rich” comments and one person adding, “it’s mad how money can make you attractive”.
Others have poked fun at James' age, with one person writing: "That's sweet. Me and my grandad were close too."
"There are a lot of naysayers, but the TikTok channel has been quite interesting," James said.
"I thought there would be mostly negative and hateful comments, but 95 per cent of them are positive,” he continued.
And that is true. Many have also come to the defence of the lovebirds saying that “age is just a number”.
That’s exactly how the lovebirds see it!
However, the only issue that pops up for the pair is that their age difference means that strangers often assume they are father and daughter.
Well, it did cross our minds.
Brightnye said: "People think that he is my dad all the time.”
"We're not over-the-top affectionate, but we might hold hands across the table and get a sideways glance from someone."
James added: "It doesn't bother us too much; it's more amusing than anything else."
At least it doesn’t get in the way of their happiness.
The pair are hopeful of a future together, and James reckons they will get engaged one day.
But for now, he says the pair “will just continue to enjoy each other's company, and the natural course of events will probably occur."
