British Woman, 61, Left in Debt After Spending Thousands on 26-Year-Old Egyptian Pastry Chef She Met on TikTok

What began as a simple compliment during a TikTok livestream soon spiralled into a long-distance romance, international travel, and even a short-lived engagement — and the photos from their unlikely romance at the end of this article tell their own story.

British grandmother Jacqueline Dube says she is struggling after a relationship that began with a TikTok compliment ended with a cancelled engagement, mounting bills, and a blunt put-down from the man she believed loved her.

Dube, a 61-year-old chef from St Albans, Hertfordshire, said the romance started while she was live on TikTok with her niece, when a man from Alexandria, Egypt, entered the stream and told her she was "beautiful."

She said it felt innocent to swap numbers, but the connection quickly shifted from casual chats to daily WhatsApp exchanges that became part of her routine.

According to Dube, the 26-year-old pastry chef told her almost immediately that he liked older women, a confession that she said caught her off guard even as it pulled her in. "I began asking myself, 'Why have I fallen in love with a 20-something man?'" she said.

Over the next 16 months, Dube said the pair kept up constant contact despite the distance between the UK and Egypt and the 35-year age gap. Eventually, she flew out to meet him in person in September 2025, believing the relationship had grown beyond a screen and into something serious.

Dube said she felt uncertain at first, describing cultural differences that made her briefly think she had made a mistake.

But she said the nerves eased as the visit went on and the couple spent more time together, from listening to music to hugging in private moments, with the relationship becoming increasingly intimate.

During that trip, she said she met his family, with relatives travelling from elsewhere to see her. The 61-year-old also said she often paid for meals, outings, and boat trips involving the man and his relatives, describing it as her choice rather than something demanded.

Dube said the pastry chef repeatedly reassured her, telling her "I love you, I adore you," and swearing to Allah that his feelings were genuine. The attention made her feel wanted after years of living alone and helped convince her that he valued her as a person.

She returned to Egypt in November 2025 and he met her at the airport with a limousine and flowers. On a later trip in December, Dube said he proposed, and they began discussing a wedding in Cairo.

Back in Britain, however, she said the money began to haunt her. Dube said she calculated she had spent about £4,000 over the course of the relationship on flights, accommodation, gifts, and expenses connected to time spent with him and his family.

She said the tone shifted when she raised financial concerns, and the relationship began to unravel. The engagement lasted about two months before she called it off, saying she had come to believe the barriers between them were too big to ignore.

"I thought he saw me for who I was," Dube said. "He told me he loved me to the moon and back. He made me feel special and wanted."

She added, "Now I know that I don't have what I thought I had. I ask myself, 'Why did I do this?' You can't help who you love, but I blame myself. I should never have got on that plane." Dube said the emotional fallout has been severe, and she admitted she still cries when she thinks she will never see him again.

The 61-year-old also said she believes she developed a "weird attachment" to the much younger Egyptian after being on her own for 10 years, and that she had been determined to prove sceptics wrong when friends and family warned her not to travel.

Now, the consequences are practical as well as personal. "I'm in debt. I've not been able to pay my bills," she revealed, adding that she sees the warnings she ignored more clearly in hindsight.

Dube said the pair have spoken since, claiming he later unblocked her and tried to repair the situation, but she insisted she would not return. When approached for comment, the Egyptian pastry chef said, "This woman is crazy."

The story has since triggered a wave of reaction online, with some netizens expressing sympathy and others framing it as a hard lesson about loneliness and risk.

"I feel for you, I do!! It seems when we are vulnerable, lost, lonely or lacking confidence these people can strike and pull us right in; it's happened to me and we realise it much later. I hope you are alright now at least and well rid of him!!" one person wrote.

Another warned, "If you show desperation and vulnerability, then you will be an easy target from [sic] these scammers! I think the lesson learned here is you have to be happy being by yourself."

"Love and respect yourself first, and have a realistic expectations in a relationship [sic]. If it's too good to be true then it's a red flag all the way, period!" they continued.

A third commenter suggested the scenario was not unique, writing, "I've heard this happening to others locally then the man divorces some are after a British passport as well they say love is blind [sic]."

Others focused on the dangers of meeting strangers in person, with one comment reading, "Put it this way. She had to pay to learn her lesson. She was quite brave to risk her life to meet a complete stranger as there are so many horror stories about these encounters. I hope she is much wiser now."

Another person added, "As the saying goes 'there's no fool like an old fool' I've been an old fool a few times [sic]!" One longer response urged Dube not to focus on age, suggested people of all ages can be targeted, and advised meeting partners through everyday social circles instead of online spaces.

For Dube, the relationship is now over, but the impact remains. She says she is left balancing grief with regret, and trying to understand how something that felt so affirming ended up costing her so much.