A woman who fell in love with a man 22 years her senior says it's unsurprising she ended up with an older guy after her first teen crush was Robert Downey Jr. Sav Harrison, 24, met her husband Mark, 46, on her first night out as an 18-year-old and says it's been like a "fairy tale" ever since.
The pair tied the knot three years later and now live a happily married life together. Sav, from Sydney, Australia, said: "It's not surprising I married Mark really. At 12 years old my first crush was the actor Robert Downey Jr - who was 45 at the time. All my crushes were always older.
"Initially my mum freaked out about Mark and I which was hard. But now she's fallen in love with Mark.
"Whenever people look at us in the street, I don't think they are staring because of the age gap I just think – 'they must think we're hot'."
Sav and Mark tied the knot in February 2021 and now love sharing their relationship to give confidence to other "diverse couples".
They are used to getting mistaken for father and daughter and often get stared at in the street, but say it "doesn't bother them anymore".
Mark, who works for Sav's digital agency, said: "With Sav I never know what is coming up next. It's a wild ride every day.
"We have fun in life. We're in this relationship because we love each other. I'm not the sugar daddy by any means."
Sav and Mark spoke on and off for several months after matching on Tinder in 2017, and finally bumped into each other on a night out.
"We hadn't planned to meet up. I was out clubbing for the first time, and we bumped into each other," Sav explained.
"I ended up with nowhere to go at the end of the night so Mark offered for me to stay. I was hesitant, but it was the only option I had."
Mark put Sav to bed and slept in the living room, but the pair shared a kiss when Sav left the following morning.
"When we kissed, I knew he was the one. I could feel the chemistry," Sav recalled.
For the next year, the couple met up regularly but kept their relationship to themselves as they knew it was "special".
"I was a university student so I didn't want commitments," Sav said. "A year later we decided to give it a proper go and moved in together."
"It was the first time I had ever lived with a woman," Mark said.
The couple's relationship went from strength to strength and they got engaged in late 2020 and married in early 2021.
"We were living in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, at the time and had gone to our favourite bistro," Sav explained.
"Mark just turned around and said - 'I think you should pick a date'. I picked a few and he would open up his calendar and say 'no that doesn't work'.
"Finally, I randomly picked February 20, 2021, and we decided we get married then."
Despite now being able to deal with hateful comments, the couple say they have suffered a fair few throughout their relationship.
"We had to go through a fair bit of grief, but we have built our resilience," Sav explained.
"It can be upsetting that other people don't get your love. Just the other day a shop assistant told my 'father to hurry up'.
"I said 'it's my husband' and she was apologetic and embarrassed. If it's a genuine mistake it doesn't bother me at all."
"Now we absorb the hate. We don't care - we're just having a great time," Mark said.
The couple now take pride in sharing their story to help other people feel comfortable in their relationships.
"Telling our story is freeing others. We're collecting a bunch of misfits who identify with us and represent people in diverse relationships," Sav said.
"At the end of the day what really matters is the relationship itself and as long as you have love, trust and communication that's all that counts."
Sav and Mark hope to start a family in a few years' time - and are hoping to have a baby in 2025 so they can have the year of the snake.
"Mark is the year of the dragon and I'm year of the tiger. Year of the snake would be so cool," Sav said.
"We're twin flames. If it's meant to be, it's up to me."
Do you have a dating story to share? Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
