A British woman found an unexpected love after being dumped by a younger man from Egypt. Joanna Girling has been swept off her feet after meeting an Egyptian local whilst living in Hurghada in May 2019.
Joanna, 48 met Hysm Fygo, 40 shortly after she got broken up with by another younger man from Egypt. The middle-aged Brit and her new partner Hsym are trying for a baby and are set to get married in Cairo this summer.
Speaking to the Mirror, Joanna said: "Lots of people didn't think our relationship would last because of what happened to me in the past.
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"They still think Hysm is just with me for my money, but I know it's not true. When I first met him, I had nothing and he knew I had no money. Hysm actually got a bank loan out to pay for my visa in Egypt after I got divorced."
The former Tesco employee fell for her ex boyfriend, Hassan Kahlied, on holiday in 2018, and would sneak off to sleep with the waiter while her husband slept.
When she returned to England, Joanna broke off her marriage to pursue Hassan - who was in his twenties - but he ended it after she "ran out of money".
Joanna continued: "Hysm makes me feel great. He made me trust people again. He is my soulmate.
"There seems to be a magnet that keeps us together. There's something there that I've never had in previous relationships, even with my ex-husband.
"We would love to have a family but it might not be possible because I'm 48. We've been trying for four years but nothing has happened."
Joanna, who is from Norfolk, met Hysm in 2019 when she went out for a drink with a friend at his herbs and spices shop. The two got talking and organised a taxi home together, where they enjoyed the night together at Joanna's apartment.
It was an instant connection for Joanna, who "wasn't out there looking for love", but found it in the most unlikely of places. In 2021, Joanna returned to the UK to save up some money and get a formal divorce, so her and Hysm could marry officially in Egypt.
"He always tell me that I'm beautiful. The eight-year age gap means nothing to me because my ex-husband was 12 years older," Joanna said.
At the beginning, the couple had sex together every day and they still get intimate every couple of days. "The spark is very much still there, definitely. We have sex so much more than I have done in previous relationships," she said.
"Sometimes, when we've got the money and time off, we like to go out to a club and go dancing, or sit on the beach and relax."
Hysm often woos Joanna with traditional Egyptian cooking in their rented apartment in Hurghada. Though the pair hope to save up and buy a property together in Luxor, after paying for their wedding day.
"Western women have to go to Cairo to get married, it's a bit like a registry office. It's not straightforward like in England," Joanna said.
"It's about 50,000 Egyptian pounds (£1,200) and we're looking at next month. I want Hysm to have a wedding because he's never had one. He's got a very big family so we'd invite a couple of thousand people. It will be a two-day wedding party."
Joanna, who earns approximately £200 a month working seven days a week on a boat, said the salary in Egypt is "very low". She continued: "We are thinking about going to the UK for a year to save some money. I'd like to show him a proper English seaside and take him to London."
Hysm has family in England and has never visited the UK before, though a tour with Joanna could be on the horizon. Joanna added: "People said that it wouldn't last and we've been together four years now. I went with my heart and had a lot of backlash, but I proved them wrong."
Despite having the support of Hysm's family, Joanna's own relatives shunned her when she first moved abroad.
"My family still don't speak to me and they haven't since I left to come to Egypt in 2019. I speak to friends that I used to work with at Tesco," she said.
"Some of them didn't think it would last but I'm still here."
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