A 49-year-old single man falls in love with the Ukrainian refugee he helped

A man who has been single all his life will finally get married after falling in love with a Ukrainian refugee he helped when she was fleeing war. Guy Wilson met Karyna Kulyk while volunteering in his home town of Chepstow.

The 34-year-old traveled to Britain to escape her war-torn country with her son Seraphim, now seven. Guy, 49, says he lacked confidence and struggled to find “the one” all his life.

He had accepted that he would never meet anyone, but after nearly five decades of being single, an unexpected turn of events led Guy to meet Karyna.

Guy said: “Love always finds a way. In my case, I thought I knew where my life was going, but suddenly a world event changed everything.

“I’m so glad we found each other. Girls were a new thing to me at my age, and my mom and dad didn’t expect me to meet anyone.

“But 18 months on, I have a fiance and a seven-year-old boy who wants to adopt him – it’s been a whirlwind!”

Karyna from Mezhova near Donetsk, Ukraine was forced to leave her life behind after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. After leaving her home on the front lines, the last thing Karyna expected was to fall in love with a kind stranger.

She says many members of her family have had to stay in Ukraine and can hear shelling every day. Karyna said: “When I came to the UK I had my son and my suitcase. I had to leave everything behind.”

Guy added: “When I watched the news I was horrified. I never dreamed that I would meet a Ukrainian and suddenly you fall in love with a person from this place.

“You never expect to meet someone from a war zone.”

Last January, Guy met Karyna while volunteering at St Briavel Ukrainian Support Center in the Forest of Dean. He is a member of Chepstow Rotary Club, which has supported the charity by providing warm clothing and financial support and providing lifts for new families who have moved to the area.

After another volunteer asked Guy to take Karyna on a day trip, the pair immediately hit it off. As they began to spend more time together, their friendship began to become somewhat more romantic.

Karyna, who previously worked as a lawyer in Ukraine, found work waiting tables in the UK. During evening shifts, Guy offered to babysit Seraphim and meet Karyna’s son.

After dating for a few months, Guy says his life has been changed for the better and the relationship has helped him with his depression. On New Year’s Eve, he was ready to commit and proposed to Karyna with his mother’s engagement ring on a beach at Rock opposite Padstow, Cornwall.

Guy said: “I wanted to ask permission to marry Karyna. So I texted her dad who lives near the front line using Google Translate.

“The response was ‘Finally! We planned the beach proposal and timed the fireworks to go off when we popped the question.”

Karyna instantly said yes and the bold pair are set to tie the knot on May 28 this year at their local church. The wedding will be a small ceremony with only 40 guests as Karyne’s family cannot attend due to the war.

However, I’m over the moon that her mom, Valentyna, will be able to make the day special.