A couple with a 42-year age gap has taken to TikTok to defend their relationship after receiving comments "gold digger" comments.
Philippine-born Jackie, who is 27, often posts TikToks to the account she shares with Dave, who is 69. They have been married for over three years, and have been regularly sharing videos on the app.
The couple has repeatedly professed their love for one another, however, each post sadly seems to get inundated with negative comments about their relationship, with some even writing that Jackie is only married to Dave for money and a US Green Card.
Data from the 2014 US Current Population Survey found that the average age gap for heterosexual couples was around 2.3 years, with the man being the older of the two - hence why users seem to have a hard time believing the authenticity of Jackie and Dave's marriage.
Under one of Jackie and Dave's videos, one user cruelly commented: "True love... for visa."
Another added: "That visa and money!!!!! She is going to send that money back home."
"I feel sorry [for him] he is looking for a caregiver she knows this is wrong but needs money [moneybag emoji]," another user chimed in.
But it seems the couple, who have more than 33,000 followers on the platform, take the negativity with a grain of salt, even using the harsh comments as inspiration for their TikTok videos.
One TikTok video the couple created superimposed a comment made by another user which read: "Money and Green Card that's all [sic]," clearly referencing their own opinion that someone as young as Jackie would only marry a person in their 60s for some sort of gain.
In the video, Jackie sits on Dave's lap while he holds cash and two green pieces of card in front of her. Jackie laughs as she grabs the papers and fans herself, before kissing her husband.
The couple has revealed that they met via a dating website, where Dave reached out to Jackie asking for her phone number. After Jackie responded, the pair had their first date at Starbucks, which they say was the beginning of a "wonderful relationship".
While the couple have to battle negativity, they also receive their fair share of positive comments from TikTok users who support their relationship.
"I can't believe people are still harassing you about your age difference. You are a beautiful couple. Makes no difference. Correct!!" someone said.
Another wrote: "If you are happy, nothing anybody says matters."
The couple continues to make both funny and heartwarming content about their marriage and unusual age gap, which Dave says: "Doesn't make a bit of difference."
