A woman who married a man that was the same age as her father has said that despite what people might think she doesn't have 'daddy issues'.
Jessica Zirkelbach got hitched to husband Alan 12 years ago when she was 22 and he was 50, and to make things slightly more awkward, he had the same name and age as her dad.
She told Love Don't Judge that she was looking for someone 'like' her dad but was surprised at how close husband Alan would be to her father.
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She said: "I think my attraction to Alan grew over time as far as physical attraction goes, but I was attracted to everything else immediately; his success, the way he carried himself, the way he was a host, the way he pursued me immediately.
As for her husband Alan, he said he thought the age gap might be a problem at first and admitted he 'struggled' with it in the beginning, adding that he asked Jessica what she thought about it a couple of times.
He also said that most of the criticism the couple gets is online, and it's quite rare that anyone actually says anything to their faces.
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Alan did tell the YouTube channel about one moment where that did happen while they were on a cruise ship.
He said: "We were on a cruise and a group of three ladies saw us dancing, and they saw me kiss her. Then when I walked away they gave me like a hard time about it.
"They said ‘she could be your daughter’ and that kind of stuff. That one got under my skin a little bit more. People may say things behind our back but not right to our face normally."
Jessica insisted that any criticism of the relationship only made her want to have her marriage succeed more, explaining that 'the doubts of people pushed us together'.
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As for what the other Alan in her life thinks of their marriage, Jessica said his was the only other opinion that mattered to her.
Jessica's dad Alan remembered his daughter telling him 'she'd met this great guy' and he asked for the name of the bloke, and was given his own name as a response.
Her dad's next question was to ask how old the other Alan was, and said he told his daughter that she had 'daddy issues', though he then goes on to say that's 'not true'.
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Though he initially described it as 'awkward', he seems to have come round to supporting the relationship, adding that his only concern being that Jessica was happy.
Other couples with significant age gaps in their relationships have said that people are always asking them about kids, while Jessica and Alan aren't the only couple who've won round their parents after some initial skepticism.
Meanwhile, a relationship expert has said that the ideal age gap in a relationship is just one year, as statistically that has a lower chance of leading to a break-up.
Topics: Sex and Relationships
Joe Harker