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Sarah and Darin now live together, despite being long distance for the three months before they got married (Picture: Mediadrumworld/SarahAndDarin)
These newlyweds have a very different love story to what you’d expect, having only met three times in the flesh after connecting online during the pandemic.
Despite the fact they have a 28-year-age gap – and had only known each other for three months – the pair have ignored critics and tied the knot, saying they’re looking forward to their future together.
Sarah Henderson, 26, from Ann Arbor, Michigan, first met Darin, 54, from Kansas City, Missouri, on YouTube in October 2020.
Human resources and technical recruiter Sarah had started a self-growth YouTube channel called Your Ideal Self, and came across pet services business owner Darin’s channel, Dog Guy Darin.
They began talking and became friends – yet although neither were looking for a relationship, romance began to blossom as Sarah and Darin bonded over music, creativity, and their shared dreams of one day living a nomadic lifestyle.
‘We found each other in the most unexpected way,’ said Sarah.
‘Both of us started YouTube channels around the time of the pandemic. We met on YouTube and became friends. That didn’t last too long, because we both fell for each other pretty hard and pretty fast.
‘We connected on music, politics, religion (or lack thereof), writing, animals, poetry, and our shared wanderlust. We spoke every day, sent lullabies to each other each night via email, and worked out together on video chats every other day.’
The pair plan to publish a book about their experiences (Picture: Mediadrumworld/SarahAndDarin)
The couple were living in separate states, but Darin drove to Michigan to meet Sarah in November 2020, where they went horse riding and shared their first kiss together.
They met up again the following month, and then Sarah proposed to Darin in the new year, with the pair getting married just three months after first speaking.
Sarah is aware of judgements that may be made about their relationship, but insists that their age difference wasn’t intentional and doesn’t affect their closeness.
She said: ‘We both agree that neither of us were looking for someone of a different age, it’s just that we were attracted to who we were attracted to.
‘Some people immediately say it will never work – that Darin will get old and I will have to take care of him or he will die and leave me alone, but those things can happen in any relationship.
‘How many people have married someone of the same age, only to lose that person to cancer or a car accident? We say you can’t go into a relationship worrying about what could go wrong, but should enjoy every moment and appreciate the time you have together.’
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Sarah has now moved to Missouri to live with Darin and they are living happily together. Thankfully, her friends and family haven’t reacted negatively to their romance, and Darin’s loved ones were happy that he’d found love after a long period being single.
They couple have now started a joint YouTube channel, where they share their relationship with the world and aim to breakdown the stigma that surrounds age gap relationships.
Sarah said: ‘We both learn from each other. I call Darin my “Google” and see him as a wealth of knowledge, while Darin loves the youthful playfulness I bring to our lives.
‘I see Darin as being younger at heart than others his age, and I easily love everything about him. When I’m with him, I don’t see or feel the age difference. I just see someone with the same values as me and the same purpose.
‘I’m glad to be with someone who wants the same things as me and dreams as big as me. The future is bright with Darin.’
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They plan to earn a living through ‘creative outlets’ and live a more nomadic lifestyle. Sarah says they’ve applied for reality shows like Amazing Race and are looking to publish a book about their experience, as well as doing Ted talks and motivational speeches.
She added: ‘We also want to host a show featuring other age gap couples and success stories to normalise relationships like ours.’
On the advice she has for other couples with a large age disparity, Sarah said: ‘Don’t give in to haters or negativity. Don’t fall for the argument that your love and your relationship is somehow “wrong” or “weird”, and remember to live every day proving the haters wrong.
‘If we ever struggle, we remind each other we are in this life together and we’re not about to give in to negative criticism.
‘True love doesn’t see age, any more than it sees race, religion, gender or political differences. Love is love.’
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