A woman fell in love with the topless waiter she hired for her divorce party, they moved in together after a month of dating and are now married with a baby.
Gabriella Landolfi, 29, wasn't expecting to find the love of her life when she booked topless waiters to celebrate the end of her marriage at a party in March 2019 - her divorce was finalised the month before.
One of the waiters, John Landolfi, 28, took a liking to newly single Gabriella and text her the next day to 'check how she was'.
The pair met up the next night, but Gabriella was wary of him as he was 'very into his looks and body'.
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But with encouragement from friends, she kept meeting up with him and began to see his soft side.
Within a month the pair were dating, and John had moved in. After a whirlwind romance, he proposed in July 2019.
The couple married in November 2020 and welcomed baby, Matteo, in July 2021.
Gabriella, a humanities teacher, from Melbourne, Australia, said: "I never expected to get into a relationship with the topless waiter I hired for my divorce party - let alone marry him.
"But when I got to know him, I could see what an amazing guy he was. It was quite the whirlwind and I’m so glad I hired him.
"At first I thought he was too into his looks, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Now I have the most beautiful family.”
John, an insurance assessor, said: "When I saw Gabbie I thought she was cool and I wanted to get to know her.
"I was just looking for a friendship and I never expected to find my wife.
"I was doing my job and I never thought this would happen. Being with Gabbie just felt right.
"I never saw it as a whirlwind, it felt like we knew each other forever."
After the end of a turbulent 10-year relationship in June 2017, Gabriella decided to throw a party when her divorce was finalised in February 2019.
"My friends suggested getting topless waiters and I just thought: 'Why not?'” Gabriella said.
"It felt like I was finally free and wanted to celebrate.
"I don’t remember being able to speak to John that much, but I remember he said he would text me the next day when he left.
"I just laughed it off, so I was shocked when he did.”
John messaged Gabriella the following day and the pair hit it off and began chatting.
"He texted to check in with me and the cleanup and we carried on texting from there,” she said.
"He ended up coming over that night, but I chucked him out at midnight.
"He seemed like a nice guy but he was very into his physique so I thought it would be more of a friendship than anything else.”
But after confiding in her friends, they encouraged her to keep seeing John, promising he was a 'good guy'.
"We ended up seeing each other every night and I got to know him and his soft side,” Gabriella said.
After quickly hitting it off, John moved in with Gabriella in April 2019 and the pair started officially dating.
"He had a daughter from a previous relationship and knowing he was a dad really made me grow to like him and see that sweet side of him,” she said.
With the pair smitten, John proposed on the top of the Rialto tower, Melbourne, Australia, and Gabriella didn’t hesitate to say yes.
"I was shocked as we’d joked about getting engaged but I didn’t think it would happen so soon,” she said.
"I’d jokingly pointed out the ring I liked and there he was holding it out to me across the table.”
Gabriella, who was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) - a condition that affects how the ovaries work - was surprised when she fell pregnant in August 2020, but sadly the couple lost the baby just two weeks before their wedding in November 2020.
"It was really hard,” Gabriella said.
"I thought that would be it as I’d always been warned that it would be unlikely, I’d have a baby and if I fell pregnant, I would miscarry.
"The wedding day was still amazing but smaller than we had planned due to covid.”
But to the couple’s amazement, they fell pregnant again in December 2020.
"It was a tough pregnancy, but we made it,” Gabriella said. "I was in and out of hospital haemorrhaging it was terrifying.”
Little Matteo was safely born five weeks early on 28th July 2021 via an emergency c-section, weighing 6lbs 4oz, at Casey Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
"He’s amazing,” Gabriella said. "I can’t believe I’m a mum as I didn’t think it would be possible.
"I’ve been through a lot, and I never thought I’d meet my husband at my divorce party, but I wouldn’t change it.
"I have the most amazing family.”
