Jacqueline Dube, a 61-year-old grandmother from St Albans, Hertfordshire, has spoken of her heartbreak after falling in love with a 26-year-old Egyptian pastry chef she met on TikTok. Despite a 35-year age gap and 2,500-mile distance, the pair spoke daily for 16 months before she flew to meet him in September.
During her second trip a month later, he proposed and they began planning a wedding, but she later realised the cultural, financial and geographical barriers were too great. Jacqueline spent around £4,000 on travel, gifts and accommodation throughout the relationship, leaving her in debt and unable to pay bills.
She said: 'I thought he saw me for who I was. He told me he loved me to the moon and back. Now I know that I don’t have what I thought I had.' She ended the two-month engagement, calling it off for good.
The man, from Alexandria, was approached for comment and said: 'This woman is crazy.' Jacqueline now regrets the relationship, saying she 'should never have got on that plane.'
