A young mum whose husband is 25 years her senior says he is "like a stallion" in bed - even though strangers call him her "grandad".
Leila and Bruce Griffin first met while she was looking for something casual with an "established man", but the pair instantly got on like a "house on fire" and soon became inseparable.
The 28-year-old, who lives in Tampa, Florida, said the 53-year-old entrepreneur caught her eye because he was financially stable, funny, down to earth and also a "true gentleman".
She says sparks also fly in the bedroom due to their emotional connection, and that he is the "best lover she's ever had".
Not even living three hours apart when they first met last October could dampen their relationship, as they bought a house together four months later and tied the knot this July.
But Leila has been forced to grow a thick skin, saying she is bombarded with "jealous" comments online, branding her a "gold digger".
She advises anyone wanting to be in an age-gap relationship but are held back worrying about people's perceptions to do what makes them happy, saying: "You can't please everyone, and shouldn't try to."
Leila, who's from Enfield but now lives in Tampa, US, said: "He's 53 and he f***s like a stallion. He's the best lover I've ever had.
"If we were having sex and I had a blindfold on, I'd say he was 21 not 53. I think it's probably the emotional connection that makes it great and he just knows his way around the bedroom.
"Bruce and I are very upfront and honest with each other and our relationship and the truth is if he wasn't financially in the situation he's in, I wouldn't have met up with him.
"If I wasn't a young, attractive woman, he wouldn't have met up with me. It's all about initial attraction, what you're looking for and what boxes the individual ticks.
"We ticked each other's boxes for our initial meet up and connection and then the rest just followed."
Bruce said: "I fell in love with a wonderful woman, not a woman’s age, and I’ve never been happier."
The fashionista met alternative energy entrepreneur Bruce online in October 2021 while living in Tampa, Florida, US.
Leila said: "I was looking for something casual, as was he. He wanted a younger attractive woman to spend some time with and I wanted an established man to spend some time with.
"After our first date, we quickly realised that wasn't going to be the case. It was love at first sight. We got on like a house on fire and ever since then we've been inseparable.
"He was just so down to earth and funny and I've never met someone that was such a gentleman to his degree."
When the pair first met Leila said she'd drive three hours in her 10-year-old Ford Fiesta to see Bruce who was living in Vero Beach, Florida.
Concerned the car wasn't safe to travel such distances, the dad-of-one bought her a Subaru and two months later this was upgraded to an Audi SQ8, which are $93,500 upwards brand new.
She said her life took a "complete 360" and described her husband as a "different breed" who's kept his word since they first set eyes on one another.
Leila said: "Dating older men is better because they have their s*** together. They know what they want out of life and how to treat a woman.
"He still opens my car door to this day and pulls a chair out for me at a restaurant. He's financially secure and for me that was a very important thing. For me to be tied down with someone, I want to be looked after.
"I don't want to be worried about money, I want to be spoilt. When people ask 'what do you do for a living?' I say 'I do my husband'.
"He's not jealous, there's zero jealousy. I need to be with a very secure man. I'm wild and get a lot of attention and he's very secure.
"He serves as my anchor at times, which is very important to me because I am a wild child.
"I go off the rails a little bit sometimes and I need someone with patience and a calm nature where they can serve as my anchor and keep me in check and serve as a mentor.
"Bruce certainly does that for me and that's why we work so well."
While she embraces the many benefits of their age difference, Leila said that a downside is Bruce being "a bit more traditional", which can cause some friction when parenting her 12-year-old daughter.
They also have a different taste in music, with Bruce being more of a Fleetwood Mac lover while Leila prefers rap and hip hop, so choosing what to put on while in the car can be a challenge.
She said communication is very important in their relationship given he's "very mature" while she's still in her 20s and "growing up", so at times it can be difficult to see one another's perspective.
Leila regularly posts about their relationship on Instagram, but said that 90 per cent of the time she'll receive negative comments.
She said: "People call me a 'gold digger' and say 'he's your sugar daddy' and 'you're just with him for his money'.
"It's like well why don't people say that he's 'just with me for my looks'. Why is it so one-sided?
"It's funny because the backlash really comes from men in their 20s and 30s that are broke that want to be him.
"It's never from women or other older established men. People comment online and refer to him as my 'dad' but I don't care because he's daddy, that's fine.
"People say 'dad', 'grandfather', 'step father' whatever fantasies they've got in their head about it they can roll with it.
"They don't think that he's biologically related or anything, it's just what they say.
"At the start the comments and the backlash would affect me because I'd be like 'well I'm in love with this man, I married this man, I want to be with him until the end'.
"But you grow so immune to it, if anything I just laugh about it now."
Despite receiving some negativity online, Leila said that no one that personally knows her has ever judged their relationship and show only their love and support.
She's also inundated with messages from other inquisitive women asking where they can find a man like Bruce.
Leila said: "I've had women message me saying 'can you guys adopt me?' and I say to them 'they're out there, you've just got to find them'.
"I mean there's none out there like Bruce. There are a lot of women that want what I have and I don't think they'll openly admit it, but they do to me."
She added: "My response would be someone's always going to say something so you might as well do what makes you happy because you can't please everyone, and they shouldn't try to."
