A woman has fallen in love with a man 40 years older than her and has insisted he is not her sugar daddy.
The couple have gone viral on TikTok after sharing details about their life together – but trolls have cruelly suggested she's just after his cash.
Willow Sias, 23, a model and actress from North Carolina, US, started looking for love on the dating app Tinder in December 2021.
After swiping right on multiple men, she was inundated with matches and likes, as a result, felt overwhelmed and decided to delete her profile.
Determined to find Mr Right, in February 2022, she tried again – being much more picky with her swipes – and one particular profile caught her eye.
Willow spotted David Simonini, a 63-year-old professional blackjack player and home builder, who grabbed her attention instantly.
At first, the love birds both thought the others' was a fake profile but decided to risk it for a first date together – and fell in love instantly.
“It was a pretty instant connection and we fell in love within an hour,” Willow said.
“He was my first and only Tinder date, but we had a quick dinner because I had an interview later that night.
“We’re like mirrors – our energies mesh really well together and we even eat the same things, which is crazy.
“Often, we’ll be doing nothing but still laughing and having a good time.
“I think we really bonded over the experiences and vibes we share, which is mostly what we have in common.”
Despite their age difference, the pair share a lot of common interests – including frequently going out for five-star dinners or partying.
The all-round entrepreneur is besotted with his girlfriend and never says no to anything her heart desires.
As an example, after mentioning that she was craving tuna, David took Willow on a tuna fishing trip.
To bring a smile to her face, he also bought her a car as a "mid-week gift" and gesture of his love.
This isn’t Willow's first time dating an older man - previously she has been involved with a 42-year-old and 37-year-old.
She said: “I’ve actually dated an older man for a few months [before] and our age difference was around 20 years.
“I was with a 42-year-old once, which lasted for around two years.
“[The first one] was a dream, but I liked him too much and got scared, so I ghosted him. I’m glad I did, because this led me to David.
“My last relationship started out similarly to this one but the guy never followed through on what he would say he would do.
“David has kept his word on everything, which is really sexy to me.
“He makes sure I’m taken care of, comfortable and don’t need anything – which is really big for me.
“I need that kind of stability and security in my life at this point.”
In the future, the couple hope to start their own family together and have already discussed having kids.
Willow says her family and friends have embraced her new beau, though some people believe David is her "sugar daddy".
She said: “[My parents] absolutely love how happy he’s made me and how good he is to me.
“He recently bought me a Mercedes AMG as a ‘Happy Thursday’ present, so he really spoils me to death – which my father does too.
“He’s very grateful I have someone that treats me like he did.
“[My friends] love us too – but a few still think that he’s my sugar daddy.”
The duo document their romance on TikTok, where they have received 17.3 million views and over 2.2 million likes on one clip.
In the video, the couple are shown dancing together.
Despite the mixed reactions, the couple say that they aren't worried about their age gap and choose to ignore any negative comments.
Willow added: “I’m teaching him to [ignore the comments] too.
“I’ve been an influencer on social media since I was about 12, so I’ve been around the block and know a thing or two already.
“We get a lot of support from the girls, but lots of hate from the men – we’re not sure why, but there’s a definite divide.
"I don’t care [that trolls think he's my sugar daddy].
"I don’t know any of these people and if I did they’re not people whose opinions I care about on this matter.
"It does bother David sometimes though, so we appreciate the nice comments we do get."
