A mum feels she has “won the lottery” after nabbing a man 21 years younger – because older men “couldn’t keep up”.
Michelle Rinella, 54, from Texas, ventured back into the dating world after her divorce and found herself “bored” by men her age, who she said would be more concerned about “where they could park.” “.
The 54-year-old ignored the many younger men in their 20s who she said “kept messaging her” until her now-husband Brandon Graham, 33, got in touch.
The psychologist said that while there was an instant “fiery” sexual attraction between them, he surprised her more with his “emotional vulnerability,” unlike older men who were more “rigid and didn’t need anything from a relationship.”
Michelle had previously been married to someone who was 11 years older than her, but now believes the age difference “creates passion” because truck driver Brandon is “fun, fit and vital” and she is “wise.”
Michelle Rinella (right), 54, has compared marrying Brandon Graham, (left), 33, to winning the lottery, despite their 21-year age difference.
The mother of four admitted that while at first she felt “annoyed” by people’s looks, now those who judge them only strengthen their connection because they are “passionate about fighting for the relationship.”
While Michelle began the relationship feeling “hopeless,” they have now been married for two years and say their love feels like “winning the lottery.”
Michelle said: “I think what makes this relationship work is that the age difference creates passion.
‘To me, he is young, fit, beautiful, vital and fun. I definitely didn’t find that with 50 year old men. To him, I am wise and established, while still being attractive.
“It was definitely an instant attraction. On our first date, my first thought was “he’s even more handsome than in the photos.” I mean, obviously there is sexual attraction, that’s like fire.
‘But then there was this emotional attraction. She came with a level of vulnerability that she wasn’t used to. Older men were simply more rigid and didn’t need anything from a relationship.
“For both of us, it’s like winning the lottery, everything we were looking for, which creates an incredible level of passion.”
Michelle had been on a break from dating and had just gotten back into it in September 2019, when she met the certified physical therapist online.
The couple married in 2021 in a lavish ceremony complete with a three-tier cake and fireworks.
The mother of four said dating a younger man “creates passion” because Brandon is “young” and “fit.”
Brandon first approached Michelle through a dating app and she admitted she felt an instant physical attraction.
Before Brandon, Michelle was dating a man 11 years older than her, an experience she called “boring.”
Michelle said: “At first, I don’t think I had much hope given the age difference. He sent me a message. I opened it and thought, ‘Another 20-something.’ Why do you keep sending me messages?”‘
“Then I looked at his photo and thought, ‘Maybe a quick hello wouldn’t hurt!’ I sent him a message that said ‘How old are you?’ and he replied ‘Old enough to make you happy.'” He was right. .
‘There had only been one other man, just before Brandon. He was older than me. He was the complete opposite of Brandon.
“He was terribly rigid and it was such a boring dating experience that I couldn’t do it anymore. Dating Brandon was a breath of fresh air. There was definitely more excitement.
“The older guy was like, ‘I don’t want to go there because it’s so hard to park.’ He felt like he wasn’t living his life. They couldn’t keep up with me. They were just boring.
The 54-year-old found an emotional attraction to Brandon and explained that he had a level of vulnerability that she was not used to.
Even though the couple are 21 years apart, Michelle said they are currently in the same chapter of their lives.
For Michelle, the idea of people judging them in public increases the “passion” and romance.
Despite constantly receiving surprised looks from strangers, Michelle and Brandon love dressing up and going on dates together every month.
Brandon made Michelle understand that people are sure to stare at her in public, but they should stay positive.
Despite receiving stares from strangers, Michelle and Brandon now love dressing up and going on dates together every month and even admitted that it increases their attraction because they want to prove others wrong.
Michelle said: ‘The other part of passion is knowing that people might be judging us. We are passionate about fighting for our relationship. It’s good to go out alone because he’s so handsome.
‘We walk into the room and it’s like a record screeching. The entire room falls silent. People are watching. It used to bother me a lot.
‘It made me understand that people are going to watch. There is no benefit in trying to make the worst of it.
‘Maybe people look at us because we are a good-looking couple. If not, maybe they just don’t know what it’s like to feel that way.
When the couple enters a room together, there is often silence, but that motivates Michelle to make the relationship work.
The couple married in 2021 and left the ceremony in glamorous fashion: by boat across the lake.
The couple often receive lingering stares when out in public, but Michelle admitted it could be because they are a good-looking couple and not their age difference.
Now, the couple often spends their days caring for Brandon’s thirteen-year-old son and working their day jobs.
Brandon, a 33-year-old truck driver, made Michelle feel like she had won the lottery with their ‘fiery’ romance
“Even if others are judging us, that only increases the feelings of attraction now.”
The couple married in 2021 and had an outdoor wedding with fireworks, setting off together on a boat across a lake.
They now spend most of their days working, caring for Brandon’s 13-year-old son, and eating dinner together.
Despite worries about what the future will be like for them in 20 years, Michelle tries to live in the moment and not let it worry her.
Michelle claimed that older men can’t “keep up” with her romantic needs, and that’s why Brandon, 33, is a better fit
Michelle worries about how the age difference will evolve in the future, but thinks there’s no point in worrying about it now.
When Michelle turns 75, Brandon will be 55, which made Michelle reluctant to get into a long-term relationship with him at first.
Michelle said: ‘At the moment we are 20 years apart but we are in the same part of our lives. The important thing is that in 20 years I will be 75 and he will be 55.
‘For a while I was quite reluctant to consider this a long-term relationship because of that. It was not.
‘It wasn’t that I couldn’t trust him to be faithful to me right now, but can I trust you to take care of my old man later? Thinking about that is difficult since we will be in different parts of our lives.
“I’ll be older and he’ll still be young enough to be healthy, but I can’t stay stuck worrying about it.”