A couple with a 19-year age gap have spoken out about the verbal abuse they receive on the street when people realise they’re together.
Stephanie Jarvis, 24, and Andrew Bird, 43, who live in Inverness, first met four years ago and are repeatedly mistaken for father and daughter.
The pair have been subjected to vile taunts by strangers, who claim that Andrew is a ‘cradle snatcher’ or even a ‘child fiddler’, with others referring to Stephanie as a ‘gold digger’.
After first meeting in the café that Stephanie was waitressing in, they are now engaged and have already started planning their wedding.
Stephanie Jarvis, 24, and Andrew Bird, 43, who live in Inverness, say they’re blissfully happy together despite the 19-year age gap in their relationship
New life: Since meeting Andrew at the age of 20, Stephanie moved to Inverness – within a month of falling in love – and has since trained to be a coach driver
The couple, who have the full support of their families, insist their relationship is no different to any other.
Stephanie, a coach driver, said: ‘When we’re out in public together, holding hands, we get called all sorts.
‘Andrew has been called a cradle snatcher, and a child fiddler, and I often get called a gold digger.
‘We just try and shake it off because it tends to be more awkward for the person who is saying those things, especially when they see we’re not bothered.
‘Having the support of my parents, and even Andrew’s children, is the most important thing. If our loved ones aren’t bothered, then why should anyone else be?’
Andrew, also a coach driver, initially met Stephanie when she was 20-years-old and working in a café that he would frequently visit in between shifts.
Nervous: Stephanie says that telling her family about her new man was difficult at first but they now support their relationship
After their romance blossomed, Stephanie moved from the remote Orkney Islands, Scotland, to be with Andrew in Inverness.
We get the horrible comments and dirty looks, but we’re not bothered. We’re happy and that’s all that matters – it’s no one else’s business!
Stephanie added: ‘One month after we had met, and I had closed the door on my previous unhappy relationship, Andrew asked me if I would run away with him to his home town.
‘I packed up my stuff and went to be with him, because I didn’t want to be without him.
‘I left behind my mother, father and brother – but I called my mum to let her know about Andrew, I just said ‘but I’m nervous to tell you – he’s older than me!’
‘My mother and I were a bit dubious at first because I was only 20 at the time, but then everyone started to notice how well he was treating me, and how happy I was – and that’s all that mattered.
The couple have already started planning their wedding and refuse to let the regular abuse they’ve suffered on the streets of Inverness bother them
Happy togther: Stephanie is now called ‘Mumma J’ by Andrew’s three children from a previous relationship
The worst memory the couple have of people making comments about their age gap is when a fairground ride attendant asked Stephanie if her ‘Daddy’ was paying as she got on the ride
‘Since I moved three years ago, I have trained to become a coach driver, we’ve got engaged and we’ve started planning our wedding.’
Despite having the acceptance from her family, and even being called ‘Mumma J’ by Andrew’s three children, the couple have had their fair share of horrible comments.
She added: ‘The most poignant memory that I have of us being mistaken for father and daughter was when we went to a fairground.
‘All that matters is how well he treats me’, says Stephanie who had an unhappy relationship prior to meeting the man she now plans to marry
‘I took his children on one of the rides and Andrew was holding the bags, and I ride attendant asked if ‘daddy is paying?’
‘I simply replied, ‘no, but my fiancé is,’ and the attendant just went completely bright red – he was more embarrassed than us.
‘We also get the horrible comments and dirty looks, but we’re not bothered. We’re happy and that’s all that matters – it’s no one else’s business!’
After getting engaged in 2013, Andrew and Stephanie are now planning their wedding, and hope to have children of their own in the future.