Student, 22, and boyfriend, 48, 'get stared at' because of their 26-year age gap

A 22-year-old student says she and her boyfriend get stared at in the street - because of their 26-year age gap .

Ayesha Parks met Patrick Wells, 48, online and enjoyed a casual fling for months.

But they eventually fell for each other and now live together in Cape Town, South Africa.

They say "society" though is yet to accept their relationship.

Ayesha, a university student, said: "Between the two of our lives, we aren't faced with many challenges, but we notice the stares from society. It doesn't bother us much.

"Our friends and family are supportive of us and our children like each other and us."

Patrick divorced his wife since meeting Ayesha.

The relationship started as a casual fling but quickly became more serious (MDWfeatures / Ayesha Parks)

He has a 12-year-old son and nine-year-old daughter from his previous marriage, while Ayesha has a six-year-old daughter.

She added: "We both don't have to make sacrifices when it comes to children, careers and lifestyle which is usually the case is conventional relationships with people of similar ages.

"We don't believe that commitment and marriage are synonymous.

"We are both completely happy in the relationship and don't see why we should change ourselves because of what others may say."

Patrick, who is a self-employed businessman originally from Rosmalen in the Netherlands, met his partner in November 2016.

The couple, who each have at least one child from previous relationships, live together in Cape Town, South Africa (MDWfeatures / Ayesha Parks)

The couple learned to ignore the 'stares from society' (MDWfeatures / Ayesha Parks)

And Ayesha, originally from Ladysmith, South Africa, said: "We are completely open and honest with each other and we are very compatible.

"We enjoy most of the same things, we have similar ideas about parenting and relationships.

"We are both intellectuals and our minds work similarly.

"We spend a lot of time together and we can't get enough of each other.

The pair's families were initially concerned about the relationship but now accept it (MDWfeatures / Ayesha Parks)

"We could both be ourselves with each other and we both liked and appreciated each other for who and what we were.

"We do often discuss the influence our relationship has on people around us, especially the looks we get from people, but this does not bother us.

"For me, I struggled to accept that he had a past and has experienced a lot of things already that I am experiencing for the first time. In trying to accept this I had to have faith in our relationship and appreciate it for what it is."