We fell in love despite a 32-year age gap and only ever dating men
A same-sex couple, with a 32-year age gap, have told their love story. The pair met on X (formally known as Twitter) and had never before dated women.
Heather McGreachy-Irwin, 36, and her wife, Sue, 68, initially bonded over their love Star Trek on social media and struck up a digital friendship. At the time they lived 4,207 miles apart, with Sue from Florida, US and Heather from Luton, Bedfordshire. Having direct messaged for two weeks, they decided to video call via Zoom and immediately hit it off.
A year later the pair met in person for the first time when Sue flew to London following the lifting of pandemic restrictions. Gradually, the couple's feelings developed and they married in a small ceremony in Central Park in May 2023, with Sue moving to the UK later that summer.
Heather had only dated men and had a daughter from a previous relationship when she bonded with Sue online in December 2020. Sue had previously been married for 36 years and also has a daughter. "I think we both knew very early on that we had strong feelings for each other," says Sue, a retired project manager.
They first met in person during November 2021 in London. "We were both at a place in our lives that we were both closeted but we reached the conclusion that we wanted to make the changes in our lives to be out," Sue explains.
The next 20 months were spent living more than 4,000 miles apart, flying back and forth to spend time together. In October 2022, they decided to come out to their family and friends as gay.
"I was terrified of coming out to my daughter," Sue says. "But the day I told her I was gay, she looked at me and said 'mum I always knew you were'. It made me realise how it was time to make the changes in our lives to be out."
Heather, a mental health nurse, adds: "My family and friends had only ever known me dating men. I told my parents separately and I was a little more nervous about telling my dad. He said he'd suspected what was going on between me and Sue and asked why I didn't tell him sooner."
In December 2022 the couple went on holiday to New York and on the trip Sue proposed to Heather. "We were on Summit One Vanderbilt, it is all glass and it was night time in the city - it was beautiful," she recalls.
The couple decided on a small ceremony in Central Park, in May 2023, with just two of their friends. "We had spent so much time apart, we didn't want to worry about the logistics of getting people there and wanted the wedding to be just us. It was a great day," Heather explains.
Following their nuptials, in July 2023, Sue moved her life to the UK permanently. "At the time Heather's daughter was only six and she was working as a mental health nurse, whereas I'd retired so the move would be a lot more difficult logistically for her than it was for me."
The couple say they aren't bothered by the age gap and haven't had any negative reactions from strangers, although they do say there have been occasions where Sue has been mistaken for Heather's mum and they have to explain that they are actually married.
"Nobody has had an issue with it and it is a pretty big bag gap," Heather says. "When we first started realising that there was something going on Sue was initially concerned about the age difference, but I compared it to the gap of Holland Taylor and Sarah Paulson.
"We know we may have a time limit on our relationship and that and one day I may be on my own," Heather continues. "But we both want to enjoy whatever time we have together and make the most out of it."
Additional reporting SWNS.
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