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Privacy NoticeSitting on my sofa at home on a cold October evening, I long to be back in Turkey with my boyfriend Seskan. We met in June when I was in Marmaris on holiday and I yearn to be wrapped in his arms once more as we laugh and kiss in the sunshine. Ours isn’t the most conventional of relationships – at 19, he’s the same age as my eldest daughter. And to make it even more bizarre, despite being only 35, I’m already a granny. Beth gave birth to my granddaughter Alaia last year. Even so, my relationship with Seskan soon became serious. And in September, I took my younger daughter Erika, 11, out of school and we went back to see him for a week. It’s a controversial situation. But it’s happened and I’m happier than I could ever have imagined. And though I’m sure I’ll be slated for Erika missing school to visit my young lover, I don’t care.
The model adores being a granny and dating a teen
(Image: DAILY RECORD)
There’s more to life than textbooks and learning maths and English. My daughter is having great experiences, discovering a different culture and enjoying the freedom that a family-friendly place like Marmaris can give. And we’re all getting much-needed sun – it’s a rare sight in Edinburgh where we live! I’ll probably need to take her out again in December as we’re planning a trip to Thailand with Seskan. Equally, people will probably say I’m making a fool of myself by falling in love with Seskan, but I believe it will last the distance. And everyone always mistakes Beth and me for twins – so at least I look his age, rather than the granny that I am.
Rachel became a granny in her 30s
(Image: DAILY RECORD)
Rachel has no regrets about dating a man the age of her eldest daughter
(Image: DAILY RECORD)
I was a young mum myself, falling pregnant accidentally with Beth in 2005 when I was only 15 and giving birth at 16. As soon as he found out I was expecting, my boyfriend of six months asked me to choose between him and my baby. It was an easy decision to make – I was shocked and scared but I wanted her. I was lonely at times as I had to leave the family home, and when she reached the terrible twos it was exhausting. But I never regretted my choice for a second and we have always been incredibly close. And then history repeated itself and Beth got pregnant when she was 17 and gave birth at age 18 – making me a grandmother when I was only 34.
The pair met while Rachel was on holiday and fell deeply in love
(Image: DAILY RECORD)
I was shocked when she told me and worried as it isn’t easy being a teen mum and her boyfriend didn’t want to be involved either. But I was also really excited for her – and I love being a granny. But just because I am one, it doesn’t mean the rest of my life will be spent in an apron, baking cakes or knitting. Instead, I work as a model, which means we can afford lovely holidays. When we went out in June we’d booked for two months. I didn’t go out there looking for love, but then I met Seskan. He’s a waiter at the hotel where we were staying and I noticed him from the beginning – he’s incredibly good-looking. We got chatting one evening after he finished work and I realised how attracted I was to him – and the feeling was mutual. But after he told me he was 19, I backed off. He was the same age as my daughter. But he kept on seeking me out and flirting with me – despite me telling him that I was a granny. And a few days later I succumbed, and after that, we spent all of his spare time together and gradually we fell in love. People are always sceptical about these sorts of romances. Admittedly, I’ve been stung before. I fell for the charms of a different Turkish waiter in September 2023. He was 34 and I soon realised that he was after a visa – after all he proposed within weeks, which is a sure sign. I finished with him soon afterwards because I realised what he wanted. But Seskan is different – he speaks near-perfect English, he’s kind, clever, gentle and funny. He’s a wonderful lover too – far more considerate than the men back in the UK. And he has never asked me for a penny of money – in fact he’s usually the one who pays when we go out.
Rachel is smitten with her toyboy Seskan
(Image: DAILY RECORD)
Our time together flew, dating and doing fun things like long bike rides and hikes on his days off. And I missed him terribly when we came home in August. But we did manage to FaceTime constantly. And I knew I was going back in September despite it being term time. It’s cheaper to travel then and in Scotland we don’t get fined when our children miss school, I told the headmistress and she was fine with it. When we arrived back I was nervous, worrying things might have changed between me and Seskan, despite keeping in close contact. But we clicked straight back into it and it’s better than ever. My daughters both love him, though Beth was dubious at the beginning as he was the same age as her, but she soon came around. We’ve talked about our future together. I told him early on that I don’t want to have any more children. Beth and my granddaughter live with me and though I love helping with feeds and nappy changes, it reminded me how exhausting motherhood is. At least as a granny, I can give the baby back. Fortunately, he’s fine with my decision and says he doesn’t want any children either. I’m hoping Erika has been put off being a teen mum too after seeing how much work is involved with having a baby – my sister didn’t follow in my footsteps. But I love being a granny of one – she’s brought so much fun and joy to our lives and it makes me laugh how shocked people are when they find out – after all I’m still constantly asked for ID if I want to buy a drink!Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnReal LifeRelationshipsTravel
