A 26-year-old teacher who “never imagined” being in a straight relationship has fallen head over heels in love with her 56-year-old colleague.
Aliyah Coleman, from Cibolo, Texas, first met Kenneth Coleman when she began her career as a secondary school teacher in September 2020.
She was immediately attracted to the father of two, which was surprising given that she had previously only ever been interested in women.
The secondary school teachers then became inseparable after a staff night out – and are now happily married – having eloped earlier this summer.
Aliyah Coleman, 26, of Cibolo, Texas, and Kenneth Coleman, 56, met when she started a new job as a secondary school teacher
He suggested getting on one knee to ask the big question in October 2021
Kenneth is 30 years older than Aliyah, but she says it doesn’t matter as she’s always been “an old soul”.
Aliyah said: “My family and friends weren’t shocked by the age difference, they were shocked by the gender.
“I’ve never thought about dating a man, I just got out of a 3 year relationship with a woman.
“But I had a strong connection with him and that blew me out of the box.”
Aliyah admits to “stalking” Kenneth for several weeks before they began dating.
But he was “very professional and private” at work and wasn’t considering a relationship because she was so young compared to him.
But Aliyah persisted, saying: “I was fascinated by him and would make every effort to speak to him more at work.
“I was immediately drawn to his looks and knowledge and thoroughly enjoyed listening to his stories as he was previously an engineer and traveled the world.
“I don’t think he considered a romantic relationship with me because of the age difference.
“But I’ve always been told I have an old soul, so I didn’t think twice about it.”
The happy couple then married in July 2022 and fled to Canyonland National Park, Moab, Utah
Aliyah says she never imagined being with a man until she met Kenneth and was attracted to his looks and knowledge
She had previously been in a three-year relationship with a woman, and friends and family were surprised when she started dating a man
Adding that she just knew she wanted to marry Kenneth – who has been married twice before – saying: “I knew from the start that I wanted to marry him – something I had never felt before.
“He’s the first man I’ve ever dated and our sex life is amazing.
“His age doesn’t matter, we do it at least five times a week.”
The loved-up couple became an “official” couple in October 2020 before Kenneth popped the big question a year later in October 2021.
They eloped in July 2022 and were married in Canyonland National Park, Moab, Utah without family or friends present.
Aliyah said, “It was a dream come true to spend our special day alone in nature.”
But she admits she’s had mixed reactions to the relationship.
Loved: The couple (pictured here in matching shorts) have a lot in common, including a love of travel and board games
The couple met when they worked at the same school and Aliyah pursued him
Aliyah said: “I told my mother about him who is 52 years old and she wasn’t concerned because she always joked that I was born at 50 years old as I never behaved my age.
“Luckily everyone was pretty accepting, but strangers and some people from work assumed I was with him for his money.
“But we are both teachers and earn a decent living. We share everything.
“An age gap relationship can be difficult when you’re worried about what other people think, but we aren’t.”
Aliyah also insists the pair have a lot in common, like board games and a desire to travel the world.
She said: “After a few weeks of dating, Kenneth told me he had undergone a vasectomy, which was great news as I never wanted to be a mother.
“Most of the time we forget about the age difference because we always have fun.
“Our home is full of games; we have a shuffleboard and a ping pong table.”
But Aliyah admits the 30-year age difference gives her some worries as she worries about Kenneth’s health and future.
She said: “Last year Keneth developed sepsis and was in intensive care – at that point I thought all my dreams were about to slip away from me.
“Now I’m over-analyzing whether he’s in pain because of his age.
“But I have to remember that no one is guaranteed to live to be 100, something could happen to me in my 20s.
“I know about ten people who sadly lost their lives to cancer from high school, but all of my elderly relatives are still alive so that gives me peace of mind when I’m worried.”