Latest news with #loveAtFirstSight
Daily Mail
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE 'I defied my parents to wed a Masai warrior': British woman who converted to Islam for Kenyan tribesman she met aged 16 reveals marriage collapsed when he cheated on her
When Christina Miles defied her parents' wishes and converted to Islam to marry a Maasai warrior twice her age, she was determined their love would last. She admits she was a naive 16-year-old schoolgirl and Kenyan-born Juma Hassan, by then 30, was touring the UK as part of a Maasai dance-troupe and stayed in Cleethorpes, where the teenager lived. They locked eyes as Juma performed a tribal dance at a Maasai circus and later Christina stepped backstage to meet the warrior. Besotted, for the next five years the teenager followed Juma to seaside town after seaside town across the UK until work for the warrior from Mombasa began to slow down. Still deeply in love, it was at this point that Christina's hopes of a big white wedding were dashed when the Home Office intervened in their love match and with Juma's five-year working visa was about to expire and he was ordered to return to Kenya, where he lived in a mud hut. They hastily arranged a wedding in February 2010 in the hope that would have been enough to allow the newlyweds to remain in the UK. But despite being husband and wife, Juna was still sent back to Kenya and the couple lived apart for a year with Christina, still only 19, remaining in Lincolnshire. 'Anyone who doesn't believe in love at first sight should be inspired by our story,' she beamed on their seven-year anniversary. But now, 15 years down the line from their rushed wedding, Christina confessed to MailOnline that their marriage is in tatters and they have divorced after Juma was unfaithful to her. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline at her home in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, she admitted: 'He broke my heart and our marriage, which I thought would be forever, ended very abruptly.' 'He was unfaithful to me. It was heartbreaking. I could never forgive him for cheating on me,' she added. 'I was always faithful to him, that is the way I am, and it was devastating when I found out. But it is what it is.' Throughout their years together the couple had gone through hard times - mostly revolving around Juma's visa issues. When they met, Christina had lived with her close-knit family in a modest but comfortable home with her parents Julie, now 57, and Christopher, now 66, and brother Nathan. Meanwhile Juma, who was one of seven children, was sharing a mattress with a male friend in a flimsy house in a shanty town area. After they married, six of their 11 years as husband and wife were spent battling for Juma to get permanent residency in the UK, which he now has. The most difficult time for them were the months immediately after they married when he was forced to return home to Kenya until Christina turned 21 and spousal support laws around immigration kicked in. 'We missed each other terribly. We'd had this whirlwind romance and lovely wedding, then suddenly it was like none of it ever happened – like Juma never existed,' she remembered. 'We kept in touch via phone calls and I managed to get together enough money to visit him for a couple of weeks but it almost wrecked us.' After securing a job as a dancer at Blackpool Tower Circus, Juma went on to take tests to prove he could speak English and was ready to become a UK citizen. He passed the tests, but was he was still denied a spousal visa, despite Christina being pregnant with their son at the time. His working visa was extended by two years and finally, after a six-year battle, he was granted right to remain in the UK. She reflected at the time: 'It's been a long hard battle, but we've stuck together throughout it all. 'Everyone said we wouldn't last and my dad Chris even threatened to boycott our wedding, but he sees how much Juma loves me and treats him like his own son now. She added: 'Truth be told, I feel a little smug now it's all worked out for us! I couldn't believe it when the visa finally came through.' Although the couple won their citizenship battle, it took its toll on the couple and created a strain on their marriage. The hard-working nursery school practitioner explained this week: 'The Government failed us for granting us the right to marry in Britain, then splitting us up and deporting my husband back to Africa because of their ridiculous and barmy rules. 'It put so much strain and pressure on our relationship, and then my husband failed me for being unfaithful.' The couple spilt in 2020 and despite a few of failed relationships since, she remains 'happily single', declaring. 'I'm on my own, it's just me and my son, and probably the only child I will have now, and I am quite happy,' she said. She told how she had converted to Muslim faith to support her husband but after their split has now reverted to Christianity. She plays an active role at her local church - Laceby Road Methodist Church in Grimsby, where she is a worshipper and plays in its band. Christina has now moved back to her hometown of Cleethorpes from Blackpool to be near her parents. Christina would not elaborate on the cheating claims and it is unclear what evidence she has to support them. 'Many couples, despite nationality, culture, faith and age split up through infidelity. These things happen,' she said. 'Although I was heartbroken over Juma, he was the love of my life, it probably worked out of for the best, and we are both happier now. 'I have to put any feelings I had for him aside. But if you cheat you pay the consequences, and he begged me to take him back but I refused.' Giving a glimpse into her single life now, Christina told MailOnline this week how she enjoyed being a sole parent to her son and working full time in a nearby nursery school where she teaches youngsters up to aged five. She said her relationship with her former husband was 'amicable' and described him as a 'good and supportive dad.' She said he still visits their son at their modest semi in Grimsby about once a month, as and when he can, and financially supports him. She added: 'Our son is at that age where he is more interested in playing with his mates then being with his mum or dad.' Juma is understood to still be living in Blackpool. Christina said she also blamed the Home Office for the 'incredible stress' they were both put under battling to sort out Juma's visa, saying: 'The Home Office helped to break our marriage. 'They tried to stop our relationship, they had granted us the right to marry and for Juma to stay here, then they changed all the rules about sponsorship and spousal visas and deported him.' She warned other women who have found love with African and other foreign partners, who are not UK citizens, to be fully aware of the pitfalls. She said: 'The visa situation was draining for us both, and him being sent back and forth from this country, and afterwards and when it had finally been sorted out six years it had put such a strain in us, our relationship started to fizzle out. 'I had even become a Muslim for my husband, but not anymore.' Life with her new love had taken her away from her roots, her family and friends, but she is happy to be back home in Lincolnshire.
Daily Mail
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Brooklyn Beckham is 'obsessed' with Nicola Peltz and his parents are deeply worried by his infatuation, reveal alarmed friends - as fans highlight his 'creepy' behaviour: DOLLY BUSBY
When Nicola Peltz met Brooklyn Beckham at music festival in 2017, it was hardly love at first sight. In fact, the daughter of US billionaire Nelson Peltz claimed they 'didn't get along'. But Brooklyn, eldest son of David and Victoria Beckham, 'always thought she was really beautiful'.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
My husband has an identical twin. I can't tell them apart over the phone.
I never believed in love at first sight until I met my now-husband. I couldn't recognize him from his identical twin brother over the phone. We ended up having fraternal twins, and I got to experience the twin magic first-hand. The first time I met my husband, I had all the cliché love signs. I felt butterflies in my stomach, and my heart was beating fast. I never believed in love at first sight until I actually fell in love with him the moment I saw him. We didn't even talk then. I just knew this was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. When I told a friend of mine who knows him, she asked me, "Are you sure it's not his twin brother?" When we started dating, when we went out together, people would greet him with his brother's name. He never corrected them. Whenever I called him on their home's landline, I never knew if it was him or his twin brother who answered the phone; they had the exact same voice and even way of speaking. They were famous for pulling pranks, and I was always afraid they'd play one on me. On our wedding day, his twin brother went early to the photographer's studio, and my now-husband hadn't arrived yet. We joked that we could take photos with his twin brother in case my husband didn't arrive in time. Years later, I was pregnant with fraternal or non-identical twins. It was so surreal having twins whose dad was also a twin. I had an emergency C-section and gave birth to my twins early at 35 weeks. When they were in the NICU, the nurses separated them. My son started not to eat; he had an NG-tube, but he wasn't thriving, and his sister was always crying and not sleeping well. One nurse decided to put them together. They held hands, my son started to eat again, and they both were calmer and sleeping better. Knowing that this bond they formed in the womb was continuing after birth made me very emotional. When they were babies, they had their own secret language. My daughter would translate to us what her twin brother wanted or was saying because he had delayed speech. Even now, as tweens, when we're out together, they unintentionally hold hands. It warms my heart to see them grow together, each with their own unique character, yet so close to each other. When they were almost a year old, their uncle came to visit us. It was their first time meeting him since he doesn't live in Canada. They were so confused, and it was hilarious watching them not knowing which one was their dad. Last year, we had sort of a "twins reunion." It included our twins, my husband and his twin brother, and their oldest brother's identical twin girls. It was funny comparing notes and inside jokes and seeing how twins' dynamics are different from ours. Although they're twins, I still have to remind myself that they are also two separate individuals. I learned a long time ago not to compare them to each other, whether in their milestones or academically. I hope they continue to support each other while embracing their individuality. And I can't wait to see what they'll do next. Read the original article on Business Insider
BBC News
08-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
'I met my husband on VE Day 1945
'We met on VE Day - it was love at first sight' 9 minutes ago Share Save Share Save Rita Harvey / Royal Star & Garter Rita Harvey first locked eyes with Ken as she travelled home on the train on 8 May 1945 A 97-year-old woman who met her husband on a train on VE Day exactly 80 years ago has said it was "love at first sight". Rita Harvey had gone to London with a friend to celebrate the end of the war and was travelling home on 8 May 1945 when Ken, who was serving in the Army, offered her his seat on the busy train. They exchanged addresses to write to each other and married in East Molesey, Surrey, in 1951, living happily together until Ken's death in 1993. Rita, who now lives at the Royal Star & Garter care home in Surbiton, shared her story as the nation celebrates the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. Rita Harvey / Royal Star & Garter The couple had a very happy marriage "I wanted to go up to London to join in the VE Day celebrations, but I wanted some company so I asked a very good friend if she wanted to join me," said Rita. "I wanted to see what was happening in London. "We were drinking champagne and dancing in central London, and we had a wonderful day. Later we went to back to Waterloo to get the train home, and the carriages were packed," she said. "Then, this lovely young man offered me his seat. That lovely young man was Ken, and it was love at first sight. "We hit it off and he asked if we could exchange addresses and stay in touch. It was the start of a wonderful relationship and we were devoted to each other." Rita, who is living with dementia, will be joining in with the celebrations at the Royal Star & Garter, which provides care to veterans and their partners. Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, on X and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Related internet links Royal Star & Garter
