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10 months ago
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WHEN Mona Lewis, 51, fell for a Nigerian stranger online, she had no idea what he looked like – or how old he was.
It wasn’t until seven months later that her admirer Spencer Bankole, now 27, sent her a picture of himself and finally revealed he was a whopping 24 years her junior.
HotSpot MediaAt first Mona thought it was a joke, but she was relieved to discover he was indeed a real person when he video-called her.
Now the pair have been in a long-distance relationship for three years and plan to marry in 2024.
Mona, from Skien, Norway, tells The Sun: “I wasn’t looking for love when I met Spencer. But he’s the love of my life and I can’t wait to spend the rest of it with him.”
Mona, who has a 20-year-old son, separated from her ex-husband at the end of 2019.
She wasn’t looking for another relationship, but six months later in May 2020, she was discussing music on X, formerly known as Twitter, with other users when a man called Spencer popped up in the comments.
Intrigued, Mona messaged him.
She recalls: “We got chatting and Spencer told me he lived in Benin, Nigeria.
“We exchanged pictures of our hometowns and he told me he lived with his brother and was a model and actor. As we spoke, we just clicked.”
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The couple first connected on Twitter, now known as XHotSpot MediaAfter six months of chatting the pair built a friendship, but they had only exchanged messages and didn’t know what each other looked like.
Mona explains: “Not knowing what he looked like, or his age, actually didn’t bother me.
“His kind, caring nature was all that mattered.”
Eventually the pair spoke on the phone for the first time. Within months they confessed to liking each other more than friends.
Soon after Mona told Spencer she was 48 and said she couldn’t have any more children, but this didn’t faze him.
At this point he still hadn’t revealed his age.
On Christmas Day 2020, Spencer sent Mona a picture of himself.
She remembers: “I thought it was a joke. He looked decades younger. I figured I’d been cat-fished.”
But then, moments later, Spencer video-called Mona.
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HotSpot MediaShe says: “I answered and it was the same guy in the photo. I was so worried he’d think I was old, as he didn’t know my age and had never seen me.
“But he said I was beautiful. He was so handsome, too.”
After they hung up Mona told her son, then 17, about Spencer.
She says: “At first he was shocked when I told him I’d met a much younger man and said, ‘He could be my brother’.
“But that evening he came around and told me as long as Spencer made me happy, then he was.”
But when Mona broke the news to her younger sister days later, she warned her to be careful.
Mona explains: “She’d heard about internet scams of young men swindling older women out of money. She was worried Spencer was scamming me.
“I insisted our feelings for each other were genuine and that Spencer had never asked for money.”
Her sister eventually came around, and the following month, in January 2022, Spencer finally confessed he was 25.
Mona didn’t care, as she was already smitten.
Later that month she flew to Lagos to meet Spencer for the first time.
HotSpot MediaThey spent two weeks exploring the area and going out for food and visiting galleries.
Mona says: “Sparks flew and we couldn’t keep our hands off each other when we met.
“Spencer treated me like a princess. It was magical.”
Mona decided to visit again in December 2022. She stayed with Spencer over Christmas and New Year, where they went to a street party.
She says no one batted an eyelid at their union.
While there they discussed marriage and started an application for a visa for Spencer to visit her in Norway.
Mona says: “Spencer’s already calling me his wife. I can’t wait to marry him next year.”
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English (US)