Trolls say fiancee at home, 20, only with partner, 55, for money

A 20-year-old woman says people are accusing her of being with her fiance for money – because she’s a stay-at-home friend and he’s a 55-year-old property developer. Nicole Jones met Shahin Farjami when she was 18 and he was 54 on an outing in London in February 2023 and sparks flew quickly after they bonded over the trip.

Despite their age difference, they got engaged in October 2023 just eight months after meeting and insist their ‘strong connection’ is more important than age, which is ‘just a number’. Both families accept the relationship with the age gap, although Shahin admitted that two of his four children are older than Nicole and were initially “shocked” to learn the news.

The 20-year-old girlfriend at home is frequently accused of only being with the property developer for money and that he could be her father, which makes her feel “weird”. The lovers decided to document their unconventional relationship on TikTok to prove that “it’s much more” than the age difference.

A post captioned ‘I’m glad we didn’t meet sooner’ shows the couple in the 2000s, which has now gone viral with 50,000 views. The photo compilation shows Shahin smiling at one of his children’s school graduation ceremonies, before showing Nicole sleeping for just a few months.

Another post shows footage of the couple addressing comments about their relationship with their age gap while driving. The 55-year-old can be heard saying “there’s quite a big age gap and I understand some people are going to be weird about it, I get that. But it works. For us’.

Nicole admitted that she often went for older men in the past because they are more “experienced in life” so she “wasn’t thrown” when Shahin first approached her while at a bar from London with friends. Nicole, who lives with Shahin in Reigate, Surrey, said: “I’m quite open-minded. I wasn’t dumped by him. I was talking to him as usual. Our discussion was fluid and it was very good. he suggested we meet the next day and we did.

“My friends weren’t surprised by it either because they know age is not a problem for me. In my past relationships, the man was usually older. Older men are much more experienced in life and I like that. They are in the stage of life where they want to settle down and don’t want the partying phase.

“It definitely changed me as a person to be more mature, but that was for the better. Love comes in so many different shapes and ways. Age doesn’t really matter. It’s just how two people feel about each other.

“I don’t think it’s an age thing. It’s about the individual. I could talk to someone my age, but I have nothing in common. Just because we could have two completely different personalities and goals in life.”

The 20-year-old admitted she often gets comments calling Shahin her father and accusing her of using him for money, which makes her feel “weird”, however the couple have learned to “laugh”. Nicole said: “It makes me feel weird. I’m not a user. I’m not going to use someone for my own benefit. It also makes me want to prove to people that I’m not in it for the money because it makes me I look bad.

“I get comments that it could be my father. It makes me feel weird, but we just laugh. Especially in videos where it’s clearly not my dad. We don’t really care what people have to say or think. The comments don’t really reach us, so it won’t come between us or destroy us.

“We communicate really well, so if something bothers us, we work it out and get over it.”

Despite Nicole’s mother’s initial concerns, the daughter revealed that her family was extremely accepting of her relationship and Shahin even secured her father’s approval despite never having met him. Nicole said: “At first my mum was worried about me. He asked me if I was sure and if I felt safe.

“After meeting him he came back and said ‘I really like him’ and I thought ‘what did you expect’. She was completely fine after meeting him. They have seen each other a few times now. I have nothing bad to say about him. My father has not met him yet.

Shahin addressed suggestions from online trolls that the couple share nothing in common given their wide age gap. The property developer revealed the pair bonded over food, fitness, being ‘silly’ together and traveling to various places including Milan, Marrakech and the Maldives.

Shahin said: “People ask, how can I, as an older guy, have anything in common with a young girl, but she’s quite an old soul and I’m a bit of an idiot really. We feel connected. We both feel it. there is a strong connection there.

“We bonded over travel more than anything. We’ve already had some nice trips together and have a few planned. We are both real foodies. We love going to nice restaurants but also a dirty burger and Borough Market. We like to cook. together.

“We both like to work out. We go to the gym and do classes together. I was a personal trainer so we had a lot in common. She wanted to get fitter and I was injured when we met so we both got into health and fitness together. we’re both pretty dumb together.”

The father-of-four admitted that two of his grown children are several years older than Nicole and were “shocked” when they first learned about their father’s relationship, but have come to accept it. Shahin said: “I have two grown children living in Australia at the moment. Interestingly, they are older than Nicole, so that was fun. They were shocked at first but fine now.

“Although it’s a fairly new relationship as we’ve only been together for a little over a year, we’ve probably gone further than people around us in terms of the relationship being normal. That’s fair enough, it takes time. . I still have a good relationship with my children.”

The 55-year-old revealed that while “age isn’t even a factor” for the couple, they are constantly reminded of it, with people even questioning whether they are in a relationship. However, the pair are happy to draw attention to their age gap on TikTok to normalize their relationship and help spread awareness to others.

Shahin said, “In terms of the characters and the way we are and interact with each other, age is not even a factor. We don’t even think about it. Age is just a number. We remember when people mention it. . Obviously we’re trying to make something out of it in a positive way.

“Even in everyday life, it amazes me how often people say ‘you’re a couple.’ You wouldn’t go to someone else and ask that. They can see that we are a couple.

“At first they’re obviously surprised and that’s why they ask, but then they say ‘that’s nice, you look good together.’ I never know how to take things like that. Is it sarcastic? Is it tongue and cheek? Does not exist. as much acceptance or understanding in the UK The reason for TikTok was to put it out there so we can laugh at ourselves about how people have at the same time they are together.

“We wanted to be subtle about it while getting our message across and with a touch of humor. This is our everyday life, take it or leave it. Hopefully people can see for themselves that there is a lot more to him than I want to be with myself. a younger woman because she is attractive and wants to be with me because I have money. We are very much a partnership.

“I’ve had some very strange comments about age. I’ve had people imagine me hitting 80, while others envision me in their 30s and 40s.”

The 55-year-old urges age-gap couples to value “strong communication” and honesty to ensure they are on the same page despite their contrasting life experiences. Shahin said: “I would say the key to a successful relationship is strong communication and openness with each other. Especially in an age gap relationship, because you’re both in a very different space in life, so you need to be clear and honest about big things in life.

“For example, things like having children or not is a big deal. It turned out that Nicole isn’t particularly keen on having children, so it wasn’t an issue or a factor.”