Mum hits back at trolls saying partner from 4,000-miles away 'only with me for one reason'
The couple are now planning their wedding in November after meeting on TikTok.
A mum who got engaged to a man she met on TikTok has hit back at trolls who claim he is "only with her for her green card".
Despite being over 4,000 miles apart, Lucy Downes, 29, from Nuneaton, found love with Glenny Phillip, 34, from Saint Kitts in the Caribbean after he watched her live TikTok videos and became "smitten".
The NHS administrator had just come out of a nine-year relationship when she started posting on TikTok for fun.
After noticing Glenny frequently appearing in her live streams, they started a conversation on WhatsApp, resulting in a deep connection that led to an engagement.
She recalled: "I could invite people to a box to talk to me. Glenny joined and said 'You need to stop talking to these people and be yourself'.
“He kept calling my live and giving me advice.”
Glenny said: "I just used to watch. She was so soft-spoken. I liked the way she conducted her life. I didn't think you could actually meet people on TikTok."
The pair spent a year saving up and awaiting completion of Lucy's house sale before finally meeting face-to-face.
When they finally met in person Lucy, said she became head over heels for the Caribbean man.
Glenny stayed in the UK for six months and met her nine-year-old son and five-year-old daughter.
Lucy then travelled to Saint Kitts with him for two weeks, and it was there he got down on one knee. They then endured 10 months apart, but Glenny is now back in the UK, and now planning their wedding in November.
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Now reunited, the couple, ecstatic in love, are ignoring trolls who claim Glennys intentions are disingenuous.
Lucy said: "At the start people said he's 'only there for a green card'. 'He's going to leave you'.
"They don't know our life. There were so many people trying to bring us down."
Once married, the pair want to apply for Glenny to get a spousal visa to allow him to live and work in the UK - but it comes at a £5,000 cost.
Lucy says her family and friends were hesitant when she first told them about her relationship with Glenny and the pair have also faced negativity on social media. "My dad said 'you don't know who he is'. He was looking out for me. When they met him they changed their minds. We proved them wrong - we know what we want."
Glenny, who is currently unemployed, said: "I was just glad we didn't give up on each other. I love her and I love her kids - that's all I care about."
