I got engaged to a man I met on TikTok who lives 4,000 miles from me - people make fun of me but I know it's real

A British woman who got engaged to a stranger she met on TikTok has hit back at claims her partner was only with her “for the green card”.

Lucy Downes, 29, had just gotten out of a nine-year relationship when she started posting to TikTok for fun.

The NHS administrator from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, noticed Glenny Phillip, 34, from St Kitts, Caribbean, appearing on his live streams and the pair hit it off when they started chatting. chat on WhatsApp.

The loving couple had to wait a year before they could meet in person in the UK, while they saved money and waited for Lucy to sell the house she shared with her former partner.

Glenny stayed with her in the UK for six months, during which time he met Lucy’s children, a nine-year-old son and a five-year-old daughter. Lucy then returned with him to his home for two weeks, where he got down on one knee.

Lucy Downes, 29, had just gotten out of a nine-year relationship when she met Glenny Phillip, 34, on TikTok

After chatting on WhatsApp, Lucy and Glenny decided to meet in person in the UK.

Lucy, from Nuneaton, Warwichshire, told SWNS that trolls and social media haters who suggest Glenny is only interested in her for a “green card” couldn’t be more wrong.

The couple then spent another 10 months apart, but Glenny is now back in the UK and the couple are planning their wedding for November.

Glenny will then apply for her spouse visa which, if obtained, will give her the right to live and work in the UK.

Lucy revealed that trolls and social media haters who suggest Glenny is only interested in her for a “green card” couldn’t be more wrong, adding: “They don’t know our lives.”

A green card – a US permanent resident card – is not available in the UK, but Lucy figured out from the people in line that they meant a UK spouse visa.

At first, people said he was only there for a green card, he’s going to leave you,” said the mother of two.

Glenny will then apply for her spouse visa, which will give her the right to live and work in the UK.

Glenny then proposed to Lucy, who is an NHS administrator, and the couple plan to marry in November this year.

Glenny, currently unemployed, spent six months with Lucy and her children, before the couple traveled to her hometown of St Kitts.

“They don’t know our lives,” she continued. “There were so many people trying to bring us down.”

Glenny, who is currently unemployed, said: “I was just glad we didn’t abandon each other.

“I love him and I love his children, that’s all that matters to me.”

Lucy first met Glenny after taking to TikTok to talk about her past relationship, which ended after nine years.

She remembers: “I could invite people into a dressing room to talk to me.

“Glenny joined in and said, ‘You need to stop talking to these people and be yourself.’

“He kept calling me live and giving me advice.”

Of her fateful meeting with Lucy, Glenny added: “I almost deleted my account when I met her.

A green card – a US permanent resident card – is not available in the UK, but Lucy understood that online commenters meant a UK spouse visa.

After connecting on TikTok, the couple bonded over their emotional connection and struggles with their living situation; Lucy still lived with her ex and Glenny had no fixed address

Glenny said meeting Lucy in person was ‘the best day of my life’

Lucy said her family and friends were hesitant when she first told them about her relationship with Glenny and the couple also faced negative criticism on social media.

“I just used to watch. She spoke so softly. I liked the way she lived her life.

“I didn’t think you could actually meet people on TikTok,” he continued.

Lucy messaged Glenny in April 2022 asking to see him and the pair began chatting on WhatsApp.

Regarding her first impressions of Glenny, Lucy said: “He was really fit and very muscular. I couldn’t believe it was him.

“We were on the phone all the time, all night.

“It was quick. When people say you know, when you know, you know. We were so real from day one – so honest.

The couple bonded over their emotional connection and struggles with their living situation; Lucy was still living with her ex while they sold their house and Glenny had no fixed address.

That meant they couldn’t meet in person until March 2023, more than a year after they first connected on social media.

Recalling the moment she saw Glenny in the flesh, Lucy said: “When I picked him up from the airport I was so nervous.

“When Glenny came out, it was so hard to describe how I felt.

“Glenny said ‘you’re so little’.”

Meanwhile, Glenny said meeting Lucy in person was “the best day of my life”.

Glenny spent six months in the UK before bringing Lucy home to St Kitts so she could meet his family.

Shortly after, Glenny proposed to Lucy while they were out to dinner.

Lucy said: “All of a sudden all of his friends showed up with love hearts and roses and he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.”

But the loved-up couple then had to spend 10 months apart while Glenny applied for her fiancé visa.

They were finally reunited again in August 2024 and are now planning their wedding for November this year.

Lucy said: “He can’t go home. My children are so close to him.

Once married, the couple want to apply for Glenny to obtain a spousal visa allowing her to live and work in the UK – but this costs £5,000.

Lucy said her family and friends were hesitant when she first told them about her relationship with Glenny and the couple also faced negativity on social media.

She said: “My dad said, ‘You don’t know who he is. » He was watching over me.

“When they met him, they changed their minds. We proved them wrong: we know what we want.