Nanny who initially "hated" her employer, fell in love with the single dad and married him despite a 20 year age gap

A nanny who initially "hated" her employer, fell in love with the single dad and married him - despite a 20-year age gap. Krystle Romano, 30, started working as a nanny for single dad-of-three, Ben Romano, 50, who works in real estate, in October 2014. She looked after his children - Francesca, then 14, Julianna, then 12, Salvatore, then 10 then - for a few months and initially said she "didn't like" her new boss but stayed because she "loved the kids". Krystle hated Ben at first and found him "rude and arrogant" as he only spoke to her and gave instructions through his eldest daughter - avoiding any actual contact with his nanny. After three months, Krystle started to see a different side to Ben - he was kind and generous towards her - the pair soon realised they "had a spark". They embarked on a secret relationship for four months and Krystle - who grew up in a strict religious environment - initially enjoyed the excitement of sneaking around and didn’t think it would materialise into anything serious. The mum-of-one - who has a 10-year-old son, Kashton, from a previous relationship - quickly fell head-over-heels for Ben and their relationship became intense. The families celebrated Christmas together and the lovebirds realised "it was more than just lust" and told their children they were a couple. Ben proposed to Krystle on a gondola in Venice, Italy, in July 2016 and the pair tied the knot in an extravagant ceremony in front of 300 guests in Long Island, New York, in November 2017. His children took some time to warm to the relationship but are accepting now, the pair’s family and friends were also sceptical at first but Krystle, who now works as an eyelash technician in Manhasset, Long Island, said: “Honestly, we really hated each other, I don’t know how it turned into love. “At first, I just enjoyed being naughty for the first time ever in my life. “I texted him when his kids went to Florida to check they had gotten there safely but the next thing I know we were texting until 4am." Ben said: “The first time I met Krystle she had arrived 12 hours early for her job interview as a nanny as she mistook 7pm for 7am. “She was not a good nanny - she did the bare minimum, she never cooked homemade meals. “She would usually turn up at 6.30am looking like she had been at the disco the night before, she wore high heels and short dresses, her hair was a mess. “I kept my distance but one day she turned up dressed up really nice and I thought: 'No Ben, don’t mix business with pleasure.'" Ben constantly told his children they needed to find a new nanny because he was unhappy with how the house was kept. His eldest would reply: “But daddy she makes me so happy, she does my make up.” Ben gave Krystle the benefit of the doubt and after one fateful night of late-night texting, their relationship became intimate, but both thought it was "just a bit of fun". When Christmas arrived in 2014, Ben invited Krystle and her son to celebrate, and it soon became clear it was developing into a serious relationship. Before the children knew, they even joked their dad should date their nanny. The couple told their family they were together – Krystle’s family have always loved Ben, but Ben’s family were apprehensive about Krystle’s young age at first. Ben proposed in July 2016 and they got married in November 2017. “At first I was apprehensive because I didn’t want to mess up the household dynamic, but complement each other so well and she has never done anything wrong in my eyes, she is a solid good person,” said Ben. Krystle admitted their first date was ‘awful’ as Ben took her to a fancy steak house, she was underdressed and by the time she arrived he was drunk. After three to four months of sneaking around, the kids started catching on and they decided to tell them they were together. At first it was a shock, especially for the two older children but they have come to terms with the relationship now. People accused Krystle of being a "gold-digger" and using ben for his money - someone once commented: “When he’s 70 and you’re changing his diaper - you’ll see how you feel." Krystle has learned to brush off negative comments and laughs them off. In the beginning people even mistook Ben for Krystle’s dad but now people are aware they are in a romantic relationship. Without make up, Krystle says she looks like a teenager- so their age gap is even more obvious, but it doesn't bother them in the slightest. “We just laugh it off, you can’t really listen to what other people think, it will put a huge strain on your relationship," Krystle said. Ben added: “I quickly realised she’s a good person and she has a good heart, she has never let me down. “Everyone was sceptical at first because she’s a young woman and they didn’t think it would last.” The couple joke they are complete opposites, Ben is the