Exclusive
JUST A NUMBER
I’m 50 and hope to marry my 23-year-old boyfriend someday – he’s the same age as my kid but incredibly mature
People mistake the couple for mother and son
THEY say love knows no age and one couple with a 27-year gap is proving just that.
Despite always being mistaken for mother and son, the pair are as happy as ever a year into dating.
6
6
Cherie Salinas, 50, began dating 23-year-old Mickey Swearingen in April 2023.
The Texas couple met on Tinder and soon set up a date after clicking over messages.
“He was just so adorable when I spoke to him before the date, I couldn't wait to meet him," Cherie recalled.
"He was just what I needed at that point."
Cherie, a widow, had a clear idea of what she wanted from a new relationship.
“After my husband passed away, it took me some time to decide to date again and I realized I was attracted to younger guys," she explained.
Meanwhile, Mickey had always been attracted to older women but had yet to find someone he clicked with until he met Cherie.
“I’ve never had a serious relationship from Tinder but we had our first date and just haven’t left each other’s side since," he said.
Most read in Lifestyle
The happy couple both described being head over heels from their first meeting.
“When I first saw her all I could think about was how beautiful she was, she was just so perfect," Mickey said.
People think my husband is my SON because he looks so young - they don't believe me when I reveal his real age
Cherie and Mickey soon became serious and were faced with the task of meeting each other's families.
While Mickey’s mom was initially worried for her son, she managed to come to terms with the age gap after spending time with Cherie.
“When I first started getting into age gap relationships my mom wasn’t very supportive because she just thought an older woman would use me," Mickey explained.
“But when she met Cherie she could see how happy we were and she just warmed to her straight away."
My son has met him and they get along very well, which is always a good thing to have with something like this.
Cherie Salinas
Cherie's family was incredibly supportive of the relationship, including her son who is the same age as her boyfriend.
According to the pair, Cherie's son and Mickey even formed a friendship after getting to know each other.
“My son has met him and they get along very well, which is always a good thing to have with something like this," she said.
6
While a lot of her extended family have yet to meet her boyfriend, Cherie explained that they are still supportive and "just happy because I’m happy."
“When you get into something like this there’s bound to be a rough patch but we don’t care what people say and we’re just glad we can have our families behind us," Mickey added.
Another hurdle the couple faced was the judgment they received from strangers.
However, the pair say they don't care what others think and even find assumptions that they are mother and son to be funny.
“I honestly don’t know how to reply when people say she’s my mom, it’s such a gray area and it’s all about proving things to people about our relationship," Mickey said.
6
“We just want to be happy and if people have anything to say about it then let them," he said.
He added that they also brush off any hate they receive online.
“We’re happy and nothing is going to get in the way of that," Mickey said.
“There’s so much stigma around relationships like ours and it’s mostly incorrect, we just love being together no matter what people say.”
I knew from the moment we met that this was meant to be more than a fling.
Mickey Swearingen
They pointed out a common misconception people have about age-gap relationships.
“They think that there must be something weird going on but I just like the maturity level that comes with it," Mickey said.
While maturity was initially a concern for Cherie when it came to dating younger men, she said this was never an issue with Mickey.
"Mickey is exactly what I needed, he is incredibly mature and understands how to be in this relationship," she said.
It was actually Mickey who began planning the pair's future together from the get-go.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
“I knew from the moment we met that this was meant to be more than a fling," he said.
"We have every intention of being together for a very long time, hopefully, one day we’ll be able to get married.”
6
6
Topics