Woman says husband who's 26 years older gets accused of being 'a paedophile'

A woman has spoken out in defence of her relationship with a man 26 years her senior after facing judgement from strangers and family alike.

Ann Sisk, 23, and Joey, 49, say it was love at first sight when they met.

Ann was 19 at the time and working at a bowling alley when she served Joey a cup of coffee.

She didn’t think a romantic relationship was going to be in their future, but she still fell ‘head over heels’ for him.

She said: ‘Joey was in my hometown Chicago, and we began chatting.

‘I was attracted to his looks and personality; I could instantly tell he is a good person.

‘I remember thinking Joey must have a very lucky girlfriend or wife at home.

‘We exchanged social media and started speaking every day, but I never thought a relationship would be possible as I was much younger.’

Meanwhile, Joey was left ‘fighting his feelings’ as the age gap made him feel ‘physically sick’ owing to the fact he has two daughters who are now 23 and 29 years old.

He said: ‘I have two daughters and Ann is between their age, so I won’t lie, the age gap made me sick to my stomach at the start.

‘I had strong feelings for Ann from the moment I met her, but they made me very uncomfortable.

‘I almost didn’t pursue her, but I couldn’t deny my feelings any longer.’

After three months of dating, Ann moved into the electrical engineer’s home in Nashville, US, and the couple haven’t looked back.

But things haven’t been completely plain sailing, with judgement pouring in from members of their family, with some even calling Joey ‘a paedophile’.

He said: ‘It made me majorly mad when I was called a paedophile because I am far from it.

‘We decided to ignore the judgement and ride the wave – we had to prove our relationship isn’t going anywhere.’

Ann said: ‘There is a stigma around age gap relationships, people automatically assume the older man is a sugar daddy.

‘As a kid, people would joke and advise me to find a rich man to divorce and take all his money.

‘This is implemented into everyone’s minds, so it is no surprise that I am accused of being a sugar baby.

‘This most definitely isn’t the case; our relationship is very normal, and we are both in it for love.’

The pair went on to elope despite the backlash from their family and have had a baby called Mason, who is now five months old.

Stay-at-home mum Ann said: ‘I want to normalise age gap relationships, but I’m not encouraging them.

‘They have their downfalls such as backlash and judgements from people you love and strangers.

‘Another disadvantage is an earlier death, Joey worries about staying active for our son, the thought of him not being with me is heart-breaking.

‘His age reminds us to stay present and be in the moment.

‘I appreciate every day for what it is with Joey.’

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