Who says romance is dead? A man melted hearts around the world after he claimed his 66-year-old wife was, in fact, the most beautiful woman in the world – not the 19-year-old who was actually judged to have the ‘world’s most beautiful face’ of 2020.
Richard Freemantle was responding to a Ladbible story posted on Facebook about Israeli model Yael Shelbia when he made the sweet comment. Freemantle, from Portsmouth, England, acknowledged that Shelbia was attractive, he insisted she was no match for his wife of 45 years.
“She is attractive, but still not as beautiful as my wife,” Richard commented. “She is 66 [and] just getting her pension.”
Ladbible later shared the man’s reply onto its official Instagram page, writing: “We’re only a couple of days into 2021, but Richard has already won husband of the year.”
It didn’t take long before Richard’s reply received thousands of likes and comments from other social media users, with many praising him for his devotion to his wife.
“That’s so lovely, what an amazing man and husband you are, and yes your wife is beautiful,” one commenter wrote. Another added: “Aww, that is so sweet. We all hope to have a husband one day who loves us as much as this. She’s a lucky lady and yes she is very beautiful too”.
Another person noted how lucky his wife was to have such an adoring partner, writing: “Richard Freemantle she’s lovely, and very lucky to have someone who clearly cares for her so much. So nice to see”.
Others said “young ones could learn a lesson or two from this guy” – and this commenter might be right. Richard had previously shared some very smart relationship advice on his personal Facebook page, which he made available to public view. In April 2019, he posted a close-up picture of himself and his wife alongside a beautiful message about long relationships.
“For couples so eager to call it quits and throw in the towel on your relationship because everything isn’t ‘perfect’… here is some food for thought,” he began.
“Lifelong commitment is not what most people think it is. It’s not waking up every morning to make breakfast and eat together. It’s not cuddling in bed until both of you fall asleep. It’s not a clean home filled with laughter and love making every day.”
He went on to explain what he believed a lifelong commitment truly was, listing the unfiltered quirks that often come with sharing your life with someone.
“It’s someone who steals all the covers, and snores, it’s slammed doors and a few harsh words at times,” he wrote. “It’s stubbornly disagreeing and giving each other the silent treatment until your hearts heal, and then forgiveness.
“It’s coming home to the same person every day that you know loves and cares about you in spite of, and because of, who you are. It’s laughing about the one time you accidentally did something stupid.”
For those wondering about Yael Shelbia, who ended up receiving far less attention than Richard from Ladbible’s Facebook post, the model had topped TC Candler’s annual 100 Most Beautiful Faces of the Year list. She reportedly told Channel 12 News in Los Angeles that she never comes first at anything so the win was “nice”.
And who is TC Candler, who calls himself the creator of the Annual Independent Critics List of the 100 Most Beautiful Faces of the Year? He’s a writer associated with the The Independent newspaper in London and has been compiling the list since 1990. The list itself is determined by a hand-selected group of judges from around the world, according to Candler’s site, who look for not just aesthetic perfection but “grace, elegance, originality, daring, passion, class, poise, joy, promise, hope [because] they are all embodied in a beautiful face”.