A woman who cared for a terminally ill mum has been called a “gold digger” after she started dating the woman’s husband when she died.
Robert Harris, 49, hired Naomi Watson, 29, to look after his sick wife Lisa and work as a nanny to their then nine-year-old daughter back in 2012.
Lisa, who suffered from motor neurone disease, sadly passed away aged 41 in 2014.
Just a few months after that, Naomi fell in love with her boss, who is 20 years older than her.
She now says she’s been subjected to cruel comments, such as being called a “gold-digger” because of her relationship.
The couple are now engaged and living in Calpe, Spain, with Robert’s daughter Molly, 18.
Naomi said: “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 first met Robert when she posted an advert in 2006 saying she was looking for nanny work on a local Facebook group.
Robert, a shade sail business owner from Birmingham, sent her a message hours later.
The pair met in a cafe and Robert told her that he had been with Lisa for 24 years and that they were childhood sweethearts. However, he said he needed help as Lisa’s motor neurone disease meant her nervous system had nearly shut down.
Robert then offered Naomi the job the next day.
Naomi said the “so lovely ” Lisa hugged her when they first met and thanked her for helping out the family.
But unfortunately, her health began to deteriorate and eventually, she was bedridden.
Naomi cared for Lisa around the clock, bathing, clothing and feeding her.
Naomi continued: “Lisa and I grew closer. She always cried about how hard everything was and it broke my heart. We became close friends.”
After Lisa died, Naomi said Robert and Molly “needed” her and she said she began staying later to eat with them and became a shoulder to cry on.
Talking about Rob she added: “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.”
The pair then became a couple, but kept their relationship a secret for Molly’s sake.
However, two months later, they decided to tell Molly, who Naomi said was “over the moon” about the news, Daily Star reports.
Naomi then moved in with the family and Robert stopped paying her as their nanny while she started her own juice business.
When news of their relationship spread, some of Rob and Lisa’s friends were not happy about it. They said they thought the relationship was too soon after Lisa’s death and some called Naomi a “gold digger”.
Despite this, the couple have now been together for six years and are planning their wedding.
Naomi says their age gap sometimes causes some awkward situations as people often mistake Robert for her dad, but they now “laugh it off”.
Naomi, who now works as a secretary, says she never wants to replace Lisa and that she will “always be a part of their family forever”.
