Nastasya Knyazeva specially for UP.Zhyttya

You’ve probably heard that love has no age. Such feelings are not related to the years lived, experience and life wisdom – they depend only on the readiness to love and be loved.

We decided to check – is it really so?

Together with the “Zhyttylyub” charitable foundation, we asked three couples what it’s like to find love after 50.

Our heroes are unique! They have no free time – dancing, partying, filming in music videos and commercials, meeting friends, traveling, performing and many other equally important things.

They told us about their first dates, jealousy, nuances of life together and how they met love in adulthood.

Lyudmila and Oleksandr

Oleksandr, 71 years old

Oleksandr was born in Baku. By education, he is a carpenter, worked with furniture and mahogany. But life had other plans for him, so immediately after the institute, our hero retrained as a mason-installer.

All his life, in fact, he built houses, except for the period when he served in the army.

From a young age, he adored bicycles – it was his main means of transportation and his best friend at that time.

Oleksandr even became the master of sports of Ukraine in cycling, constantly participated in sports competitions and competitions, even took prize places.

In 2011, Sasha lost his wife – she survived a stroke, struggled with its consequences for 4 years, but in the end, could not win.

They were married for 38 years. Just imagine that you have lived one life for so many years – and suddenly you have to live a completely different one.

Lyudmila, 81 years old

Lyuda was born in Korosten. He is a design engineer by education, we can say that Lyuda and Sasha have almost a family contract in construction 🙂

All her life she worked in Kyiv by profession in various institutes.

Crazy about ballroom dancing. He can dance the waltz, foxtrot, quickstep, samba, and rumba.

• How did you meet?

Oleksandr: After the death of my wife, I really wanted to dance – this is probably a protective mechanism of the psyche.

In my youth I played the guitar and sang, but I wanted to dance only after I retired. This is how our story began.

In 2016, I found an ad in the newspaper from the Palace of Veterans, where they invited life lovers to come and dance. And of course I came.

The coach who ran the group didn’t have time to train me personally, so he suggested that someone from the group work out with me. How lucky I was that Lyudmila Hryhorivna, my Lyuda, was the first to approach me. She taught me for a year, took me to different groups and to different courses.

After all, today we dance perfectly together.

We got married in August 2019. I thank the coincidence of circumstances for giving me my soulful, kind, energetic Lyudochka!

• Is there room for jealousy in your couple?

Alexander: We see no point in jealousy when there is trust.

We spend almost all the time together, except that Lyudochka sometimes goes on vacation to Truskavets or Myrhorod, and I calmly let her go.

We are above jealousy, personally I can only have one woman – I am simply not interested in others.

• How do you spend time together?

Lyudmila: We are just passionate fans of Kyiv. We try to walk, go to exhibitions, theaters.

Now, due to the pandemic, we are walking in the fresh air near the Dnipro. We live in Obolon, we adore the Botanical Garden.

Khreshchatyk fascinates us even more with its majesty, especially in summer – it is a pleasure to sit by the musical fountains and enjoy life.

What relationship advice do you have for young people?

Lyudmila: Respect each other. When there is respect, interest in each other’s life, hobbies, time and feelings of another person, then there is love.

Always give each other only good. Look for compromises, sometimes give in and have a sense of proportion.

Gala and Yen

Gala, 57 years old

Gala is from the Carpathian Mountains, and has spent most of her life traveling around the world.

Her husband Ian was born in the Scottish town of Aberdeen – he worked as a sailor, brought teachers to tears with his works and dreamed of seeing the world.

As a child, Gala’s favorite literary character was Ivanhoe, and the first thing she sewed herself was a skirt similar in style to a Scottish one, which her dad helped make. Even then, life hinted at how Gala would find her love.

The first education of the heroine was a librarian, at the age of 24 she got married and gave birth to a son.

But at the age of 35, she started studying again – this time to become a manager of organizations, built a successful career and devoted herself to big projects.

At that time, her future husband managed to become an officer in the merchant navy, worked in the North Sea on oil rigs, and built his business. Married and raised a son, taught him to love adventures, work, people and the truth.

At the same time, they again decided to change their lives by 180 degrees, thanks to which they later met.

Gala started working in the theater as a manager, and at the same time worked in the studio as an actress.

Ian moved to the south of Spain to a charming house in the mountains overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and began writing books.

• And what about love?

Gala: In the fall of 2019, two lovers of adventure and crazy changes met on the Internet to discuss literature.

I was impressed by Ian’s works, but my experience as a librarian and a lot of re-read classics decided to test the author’s talent. I challenged him to write one chapter a day…

And from that moment on, every morning began with reading a new chapter of his book. 7 chapters, which I read with sincere interest in every word, and I felt my native soul.

We started chatting in the messenger. Suddenly he shared his desire to come to me in Kyiv.

He flew in for a whole week and then stayed for another. Ian invited me to visit him, introduced me to his brother and son.

March 2020, pandemic…. She separated us for 106 days, that’s about 300 hours of our conversations in the messenger about everything and even dancing on the air.

As soon as the borders were opened, Ian flew to me, we tried to get to Spain on a yacht, he manages it perfectly, but we only reached Montenegro. They returned to Kyiv and traveled all over Ukraine.

On September 22, 2020, we became Mr. and Mrs. Simpson. According to Scottish traditions, Ian was in a national costume that he found in Kiev – a real kilt and uniform of the Fraser clan, and I was in a skirt that my dad invented in my childhood. I will always remember our crazy wedding dances.

• Have you stopped believing in fairy tales and miracles?

Gala: At our age, there is a chronic mistrust of everything. Honestly, I didn’t believe in this whole story until I touched his hand in Boryspil and asked Are you real? (Are you real?).

How nature created two people in different parts of the world who have a similar playlist of classical music, tastes in aromas, colors, food.

Who are equally deeply in love with the sea and mountains, Scotland and literature.

Love is when you meet a person as if it were you! Each of us met ourselves.

• What advice can you give about relationships for young people?

Gala: Love is simple. There is no time for obstacles, problems, no time for suffering. Every minute should be loved.

Ian is a real man who takes and does. He respects me as I respect him.

And most importantly, we were already happy and fulfilled, ready for a joint adventure. This is the main condition for the relationship to remain strong and healthy.

Lyubov and Anatoly

Love, 84 years old

Neighbors jokingly call her “Foxtrot”.

Lyuba was born as the seventh child in the family, her childhood was cold and hungry, like everyone’s in the post-war period.

Our heroine has always loved life, learning and activities. In the 1950s, she married Vasyl and lived happily with him in Kyiv until 2005. That year, her husband died and she was left with two daughters and a son, four grandchildren, three great-grandchildren.

Lyuba loves to dance, together with her daughters and granddaughters even attended a dance school.

As part of cooperation with the Agency of adult models of the “Zhyttelyub” foundation, she starred in the music videos of Natalia Mogilevska, Stas Kostyushkin and Pianoboy.

Thanks to my children, I saw India, Hawaii, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, the States, Paris, Munich, Krakow, Prague and many other beautiful places. He adores the sauna and has been visiting it regularly for 30 years.

Anatoly, 89 years old

He was born in Chelyabinsk, worked as a physical education teacher, and served in the military for 25 years.

He has been involved in sports since 1947 and until now.

He also got married, he and his wife lived together for 53 years. Unfortunately, she was struck by a serious illness that could not be overcome.

• How did you meet?

Anatoly: When my wife and I went to dances in the Hydropark, we met Lyuba there and started talking because we lived next to each other.

After the death of my wife, it was difficult for me, I was terribly sad, I didn’t want anything, so only six months later I went to the dance floor for memories and met Lyuba.

I told her about the tragedy, we talked and realized that it would be easier, more pleasant and more fun for us to live together. I was 78 years old then, and Lyubi was 72.

• Is there room for jealousy in your couple?

Anatoly: It was! At first, I was jealous of Lyuba for partners who danced well, with whom she wanted to conquer the dance scene.

And later I just got to know them, we became friends and the jealousy disappeared.

• How do you spend time together?

Love: The two of us are in “Zhyttylyub”, so before the quarantine we actively participated in all events, danced, attended literary evenings.

Now we love to cook together, even clean together for our pleasure.

And we also have a child together – our cat Fila, he is 12 years old, the same age we are together with Lyubochka.

• What advice can you give about relationships for young people?

Love: See the positive in everything and just believe that everything will be fine no matter what the weather throws at you.

Do not hang your nose and look for support in life – it is easier to wait out the downpour together.