A woman called off her wedding with her childhood sweetheart to find love with a man 24 years her senior - the same age as her mum - and now they're expecting a baby. Amanda Cannon, 30, had a strong "gut feeling" she couldn't be with her ex and called off their wedding - just days before it was set to go ahead
Amanda embarked on a journey of single self-discovery and ended up falling in "love at first sight" with Ace, 54, a radio DJ, in summer 2017. Despite Ace vowing to never marry again, the lovers tied the knot in January 2021 and the couple are expecting a baby boy - due in June this year. Ace - who is dad to two children, the Payton, 21, and Cade, 20, from a previous marriage - isn't phased about being an 'older' dad.
Ace lost his daughter, Payton, in July 2020 at just 21 due to a tragic car accident and the pair say, "life is too short to be unhappy".
Amanda, a personal trainer, from Moresville, North Carolina, US, said: "Not every age gap relationship is predatory, I approached him.
"Love is love, you can love someone much older or younger.
"Maybe our souls met in a different time.
"I knew who he was, and I walked up to the bar and introduced myself.
"We traded numbers and we hit it off, we were instantly attracted to each other."
Ace, a radio presenter said: "I had been divorced a while, I was living alone in this apartment.
"I was sitting on my own eating fish tacos, and she came over and introduced herself.
"I was obviously instantly attracted to her beauty, but I knew there was a big age difference.
"I never in my wildest dreams thought that someone that beautiful would be interested in me."
Amanda met Ace unexpectedly when she was newly single after calling off her wedding in April 2017.
She said: "In my last relationship I was not myself, I constantly felt defeated and drained.
"I called the wedding off because in my gut I knew I had to."
The duo decided to enjoy each other for a summer of good fun but couldn't bear the thought of ending things and their relationship became official.
"When you date an older guy - almost 50 - him saying he had a girlfriend was an odd thing so we would say we were each other's significant other," Amanda said.
Amanda puts Ace's confidence and humility down to his older age - claiming younger boys are "immature" and "tend to ghost women".
Ace is the same age as Amanda's mum, who is 54 years old.
The pair often get mistaken for father and daughter but find it entertaining.
Ace said: "Amanda was just seven years older than my daughter.
"Our differences became more fun than anything else - she would educate me on things I didn't know.
"One time we went to a baseball game, and someone wanted a photo with me.
"It was listener of my radio show and she said, 'oh my god is that Payton?' - my daughter - she was so embarrassed when I told her it was my date.
"Her partner reached out and gave me a fist bump."
Strangers online have also accused Amanda of being a 'gold digger' and claim their baby 'will have something wrong with her' due to Ace's age.
Amanda said: "It's completely untrue but 90 per cent of the comments we receive are positive ones."
In February 2020, Ace proposed to Amanda in a restaurant outside Brooklyn Bridge, New York City, US, after playing a song he had written to her through his headphones.
Amanda said: "He put his headphones in saying 'I want you to listen to this'.
"He then turned around on one knee and asked me to marry him."
The pair eloped in an intimate ceremony on a Jamaican beach with their close family.
"I did not at all feel like I was making the wrong decision I had my gut telling me this is right," Amanda said.
Since Ace had his vasectomy reversed they are expecting a little boy in June 2023.
He is excited about being a father for the third time and isn't worried that he is older this time around.
Ace said: "I was 30 with my first child and I will be 55 when this one is born.
"I'm much wiser and I think it will play in my favour.
"Amanda is such an energetic, active and busy person and that energy helps give me energy."
Amanda added: "People make comments like he won't be around for the baby for very long.
"You're not promised your parents forever, he could live until he was 90.
"I'm not concerned about him being an older dad - maybe he'll just take more naps."
Ace's daughter, Payton, tragically passed away in July 2020 in a car crash.
"Amanda and she were so close, as heartbroken as I am, it didn't make me not want to have kids again," he said.
"Payton used to say, 'you can have another child, as long as it's not a girl' and Cade said, 'have another child as long as it's not a boy'."
Amanda added: "I learned a lot about Ace's daughter dying, life is short, and it's not promised to anyone.
"As long as you're happy and no one is being harmed, it's OK to live your life.
"Always listen to your gut, you don't want to get to 90 years old and look back at your life thinking what if."
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