A couple with a 28-year age gap have opened up about why they chose to marry just three months after meeting on YouTube – despite having only seen each in-person three times.
Sarah Henderson, 26, from Ann Arbor, Michigan, first connected with her husband Darin, 54, from Kansas City, Missouri, on YouTube at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in October 2020.
Sarah, a human resources and technical recruiter, launched her inspirational and self-growth channel Your Ideal Self around the same time Darin, a pet services business owner, started a channel about dogs called Dog Guy Darin.
Love: Sarah Henderson, 26, from Ann Arbor, Michigan, first connected with her husband Darin, 54, from Kansas City, Missouri, on YouTube in October 2020
Fate: She launched her inspirational and self-growth channel Your Ideal Self around the same time he started a channel about dogs called Dog Guy Darin
Finding each other: Darin initiated a conversation with Sarah after seeing a comment she’d left on a video, and their friendship quickly blossomed into romance
‘We found each other in the most unexpected way,’ she said. ‘Both of us started YouTube channels around the time of the pandemic. We met on YouTube and became friends.’
Darin initiated a conversation with Sarah after seeing a comment she’d left on a video. They started talking regularly and became fast friends.
Neither person was looking to date someone from a different generation, but their platonic friendship quickly turned into romance.
‘We connected on music, politics, religion (or lack thereof), writing, animals, poetry, and our shared wanderlust,’ Sarah said. ‘We spoke every day, sent lullabies to each other each night via email, and worked out together on video chats every other day.’
She fell in love with Darin’s young-at-heart outlook on life, while he was taken by the way she inspires him to eat healthier and exercise so that they can live a long and happy life together.
Meant to be: Neither person was looking to date someone from a different generation, but they were immediately attracted to each other
Courtship: Sarah said they spoke to each other every day and sent lullabies to each other each night via email
Dedicated: Sarah and Darin decided to meet up in real life in November 2020, and he drove to Michigan to see her in her home state
First date: During their first meeting, they went horseback riding and shared their first kiss
Sarah and Darin were living in separate states and decided to meet up in real life in November 2020. He drove to meet her in Michigan, where they went horseback riding and shared their first kiss.
They met up for the second time in December, and Sarah proposed to Darin a month later. They got married on January 20, 2021 – three months after they first met online.
Sarah has since moved to Missouri to be with Darin, and they are now happily living together as husband and wife.
Before meeting his wife, Darin had given up on love so his friends and family were overjoyed for him finding love. Sarah’s friends were also pleased for her, though she admitted they’ve had their fair share of critics.
‘Some people immediately say it will never work – that Darin will get old and I will have to take care of him or he will die and leave me alone, but those things can happen in any relationship,’ she said.
Mutual attraction: Sarah fell in love with Darin’s young-at-heart outlook on life, while he was taken by the way she inspires him to eat healthier and exercise
Thrilled: Darin had given up on love so his friends and family were overjoyed for him finding love with Sarah
Critics: Sarah’s friends were also pleased for her, though she admitted they’ve had people tell them that their relationship will never work because of their age gap
Partners: Sarah said she doesn’t see or feel the age difference when she is with Darin
‘How many people have married someone of the same age, only to lose that person to cancer or a car accident? We say you can’t go into a relationship worrying about what could go wrong, but should enjoy every moment and appreciate the time you have together.
‘Another stigma is that Darin will get frustrated with me not understanding pop culture or historical references or perhaps acting too immature, but we both learn from each other,’ she continued.
‘I call Darin my “Google” and see him as a wealth of knowledge, while Darin loves the youthful playfulness I bring to our lives. I see Darin as being younger at heart than others his age, and I easily love everything about him.
‘When I’m with him, I don’t see or feel the age difference. I just see someone with the same values as me and the same purpose. I’m glad to be with someone who wants the same things as me and dreams as big as me. The future is bright with Darin.’
Darin and Sarah have been candid about their relationship on YouTube and hope to break down the stigma that surrounds couples with large age gaps.
Bad advice: People have warned Sarah that she will have to take care of Darin when he gets old or he will die and leave her alone, but she noted that those things can happen at any age
Message: Darin and Sarah have been candid about their relationship on YouTube and hope to break down the stigma that surrounds couples with large age gaps
Goals: The couple wants to give Ted talks and publish a book about their experience
Happy: ‘True love doesn’t see age, any more than it sees race, religion, gender, or political differences. Love is love,’ Sarah insisted
‘Through our creative outlets we hope to realize our dream of a nomadic lifestyle, earning a living by connecting with a community of fans, giving Ted talks and motivational speeches, as well as publishing a book about our experience,’ Sarah explained.
‘We would love to be on TV and have applied for shows such as The Amazing Race, in an effort to present age-gap relationships in a positive way.
‘We also want to host a show featuring other age-gap couples and success stories to normalize relationships like ours.’
Sarah stressed that people should love whoever they love, no matter what others think or say about their relationship.
‘Don’t give in to haters or negativity,’ she said. ‘Don’t fall for the argument that your love and your relationship is somehow “wrong” or “weird,” and remember to live every day proving the haters wrong.
‘If we ever struggle, we remind each other we are in this life together and we’re not about to give in to negative criticism.
‘True love doesn’t see age, any more than it sees race, religion, gender, or political differences. Love is love.’