Mother-of-9 left her husband and converted to Islam to marry her 31-year-old Gambian toyboy

A 45-year-old mother-of-nine left her home and family in Sunderland to be with her Gambian lover, a 31-year-old Taxi driver.

Heidi Hepworth had become unhappy in her 23-year marriage to a Car mechanic, Andy when she started chatting on Facebook with Mamadou Salieu Jallow who lives in The Gambia.

That was last year, and in no time, Hepworth seemed to have fallen head over heels in love. At the time, Andy said it was a mid-life crisis and that the mother of his six children had been brainwashed.

But Hepworth, who also has three children from a previous relationship, told The Sun:

“No-one imagined this would last, but we love each other and are making plans to marry. I’ve never been happier.”

Despite never being on a plane, Hepworth traveled across the world to meet with her lover. Since 2017, she has been to the West African nation four times and says it is “a happier and more caring place than Britain.”

The mother-of-nine has already converted to Islam and is planning to make the final move to The Gambia when she marries Jallow after her divorce is finalized.

Hepworth confessed that she asked Jallow to marry her. “I think it’s fine to take the initiative,” she said. “I have wasted enough time in my life in an unhappy marriage.”

Sharing her story on “Loose Women,” the smitten woman explained how she fell in love with Jallow:

“He was like a confidant. He was easy to talk to, and if you had a problem, he’ll try and solve it for you.”

Ex-husband, Andy had earlier criticized Hepworth for abandoning her kids. "A caring mum wouldn’t go off gallivanting around Africa with her new boyfriend,” he said. But Hepworth insisted that she was a good mother and revealed that it was Andy who drove her to the airport the first time she went to see Jallow in Africa.

Hepworth said she had her oldest daughter take care of the little ones. Her children from a previous relationship are within the age range of 25 to 30 so she left them in charge of her last three who are below 16.

“If people think I went over to The Gambia and didn’t give them a second thought, they are so wrong. But having said that, I make no apologies for following my heart. I’ve been unhappy for a long time, and I think I have found someone to spend the rest of my life with. We are in love, and nothing will stop me from marrying him.”

Now, Hepworth, who insists her marriage with Andy was over long before she met Jallow, is preparing to marry her lover. She now wears a hijab and prays to Allah as she awaits her big day.

Netizens have bashed Hepworth’s actions repeatedly, but she says she’s not deluded. According to her, Jallow has a passport and visa, and regularly visits his brother’s son in England, so he isn’t with her for financial gain.