MY TOY BOY KEEPS ME YOUNG

Age is just a number for Kristen O’Guin, 48, and her 31-year-old partner Nate

- CANDICE FERNANDEZ, JOHANNA BELL

Sitting on the swing chair enjoying a beautiful autumn evening with my friend Nate, I realised I couldn't fight my feelings any longer. Aged 41, I was almost two decades older than 24-year-old Nate and I'd insisted that we'd only ever be friends when we'd first met online two months earlier in July 2018.

Now, as Nate gazed into my eyes, I felt my heart rate quicken. ‘I want a relationship with you,’ he said, and I realised that, despite the age gap, Nate was more mature than any of the men I'd dated previously. ‘Let's go for it,’ I said, before he leant in to kiss me.

When I'd joined an online dating site in 2017, I really wasn't holding out much hope of finding love. After a string of toxic relationships, I'd spent years working hard on myself to break the pattern.

Training in human sexuality and then working as a sex coach, I'd realised I was ready to meet someone new. Because despite having dedicated so much time to helping others become better lovers, I still hadn't found my Mr Right. I spent almost a year going on dates with some great men, but none of them ever led to anything serious.

On the dating site, I'd set my age range at 32 to 52 but in July 2018, I got a message from Nate. ‘I see I’m out of your age range, but I’m a hardworking, ambitious young man, and I hope you'll give me a chance,’ he’d typed.