A woman has revealed how she fell in love with a man, who is 20 years her senior, after caring for his terminally ill late wife.
Naomi Watson, 29, from London, was hired by Robert Harris, 49, back in 2012 to look after his ill wife Lisa and their then nine-year-old daughter Molly.
Naomi would take Molly to school every day, keep the house clean and tidy, and look after Lisa, who suffered from motor neurone disease, around the clock.
But Lisa, Robert’s partner of more than 25 years, tragically passed away aged 41 in 2014, leaving the family completely devastated.
Months later, Naomi unexpectedly fell in love with Robert despite their 20-year age gap and was branded a ‘gold digger’ by some of Robert’s friends.
The couple have been together for six years and are now engaged, living in Calpe, Spain, with Robert’s daughter Molly, who is now 19 years old.
Naomi Watson, 29, from London, is engaged to Robert Harris, 49, (both pictured) but was cruelly branded a ‘gold digger’ by some friends due to their 20-year age gap
Naomi, who now works as a secretary, explained: ‘Lisa was an amazing person who will never be forgotten.
‘Admittedly, I found love in the most unusual way.
‘But it goes to show, after the most painful of losses, it’s still possible to find happiness.’
Naomi said that her feelings for Robert, who is originally from Birmingham, ‘came out of nowhere’ and that they had never thought of each other in a romantic way before.
In 2012, Naomi was hired by Robert as a nanny to Molly, now 19, and a carer to his wife Lisa (pictured with Robert), who suffered from motor neurone disease
But Lisa, Robert’s ‘childhood sweetheart’ and partner of more than 25 years, tragically passed away aged 41 in 2014 (Lisa is pictured with her daughter Molly)
They began dating after Robert cooked Naomi a meal when his daughter was away for a school trip and they surprisingly ‘both went in for a kiss’.
Naomi said: ‘One day I realised I had feelings for him. It came out of nowhere.
‘Not only had Rob just lost his wife, but he was also 20 years older than me.
‘I’d clearly suppressed my feelings for him. Weeks later, Molly went away for a school trip and Robert cooked me dinner.
‘I couldn’t believe it but we both went in for a kiss. We’d never thought of each other in a romantic way before then.’
But they kept their relationship a secret from Molly for two months because they were worried about her reaction to their romance.
Months after Lisa’s death, Robert and Naomi (above) unexpectedly fell in love and kept their romance a secret from Molly for two months before revealing their romance
Speaking about when they finally told Molly, Naomi explained: ‘Rob told Molly, “Naomi isn’t your nanny any more. She’s my girlfriend”.
‘Molly was over the moon. I was so relieved. The next week, I moved into their home.
‘After that it became weird that Rob was paying me, so I quit as their nanny and started my own juice business.’
But not everyone was as accepting of their budding romance as Molly, with the couple receiving a backlash from Robert and Lisa’s friends.
Naomi said that some people branded her a ‘gold digger’ and explained that Robert even lost a few friends because of their romance.
She added that her parents were also wary of her relationship due to their 20-year age gap, but said they became more supportive after meeting Robert.
Naomi said that Molly (pictured centre with Robert and Naomi) was ‘over the moon’ about their romance, adding that she was ‘so relieved’ that Molly did not react badly to it
She explained: ‘Some of Rob and Lisa’s friends thought I’d come along too soon after Lisa died.
‘Some even called me a gold-digger. I joked around with Rob and said how he had no gold to dig.
‘Robert lost a few friends due to it too.
‘My parents were wary of our age gap. But when they met Rob, they could see how happy we made each other.’
Naomi admitted that they are sometimes mistaken for father and daughter due to the large age gap.
The former nanny said Robert used to be embarrassed by the comments, but added that they now laugh off any mistakes.
Naomi continued: ‘There have been many times over the years where waiters think I’m Robert’s daughter.
‘Or we’ve been partying and guys think he’s my dad. At first it used to embarrass Robert, but now we laugh it off.’
Speaking about when she first met Robert and his late wife Lisa, Naomi said she relocated to Spain in 2006 and posted an advert on Facebook looking for nanny work in 2012.
Robert, a shade sail business owner, messaged her and interviewed her at a cafe, explaining that he and Lisa were ‘childhood sweethearts’.
Naomi said: ‘Robert told me his family needed a nanny.
‘I said how I had four years’ experience. The next day, he interviewed me at a cafe.
‘He said he lived with his wife, Lisa, and their daughter, Molly.
‘He told me they had been together for 24 years and were childhood sweethearts.
‘I thought it was adorable. But I then discovered Lisa had a terminal illness, Motor neurone disease.
‘It meant her nervous system had nearly shut down. Robert needed someone to care for her and his daughter while he worked.
‘I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but it was clear this family needed me.’
The next day, Robert offered Naomi the job and she quickly became close with the family as she took Molly to school and helped to keep the house clean and tidy.
She explained: ‘Weeks later, I walked into the house for my first day and Lisa hugged me.
But not everyone was as accepting of their budding romance as Molly (pictured centre with Robert and Naomi), with Robert losing some friends over his relationship with Naomi
‘She thanked me for helping them out. She was so lovely. Soon after, I met their daughter, Molly, and she was sweet too.
‘After that, I took Molly to school and kept the house spotless. In the evenings, I helped Molly with her homework and we played together.
‘But as months passed, Lisa’s health began to deteriorate and eventually, she was bedridden.’
Naomi then began to care for Lisa around the clock – bathing, clothing and feeding her – and the two women quickly became ‘close friends’.
Naomi said: ‘Soon, they began inviting me to eat with them at the table.
‘Lisa and I also grew closer. She always cried about how hard everything was and it broke my heart.We became close friends.’
In 2014, Lisa’s condition worsened and she was unable to speak and she was eventually taken into a hospice, where she passed away shortly after.
The couple (above) have now been together for six years, but Naomi admitted that they are sometimes mistaken for father and daughter due to the 20-year age gap
Naomi insisted that she never wants to replace Lisa (pictured with Robert) and said she will always remain a part of their family
Naomi said she quickly became a ‘shoulder to cry on’ for Robert and Molly after the tragedy, and grew closer with Robert over the next few months.
She explained: ‘Robert came home, crying. He broke the news to Molly, who was devastated too.
‘It was horrible. After that, I knew that Rob and Molly needed me. I began staying later to eat with them and became a shoulder to cry on.’
Now, Robert and Naomi have been together for six years and are engaged, with Naomi admitting that she ‘cannot wait to marry him’.
But she insisted that she never wants to replace Lisa and said she will always remain a part of their family.
Naomi said: ‘I can’t wait to marry him [Robert]. I’ll never replace Lisa and I don’t want to.
‘She’ll live on as a part of our family forever.’