‘I married the young nanny I hired even though she was the worst at her job’
Ben Romano says his wife Krystle was the “worst nanny we ever had” but he ended up marrying the woman 20 years his junior anyway.
He hired “the worst” nanny — and landed a wife.
In 2014, divorced New York business owner Ben Romano hired then-23-year-old Krystle to look after his three children. The mother of one was not exactly a domestic goddess.
“We were desperate for a nanny at the time. I was working and had full custody so I needed someone to look after the kids,” Ben, 49, told News Dog Media.
“We hired Krystle and she was honestly the worst nanny we had ever had! Her cooking was terrible, her cleaning of the house was terrible and she was terrible at laundry.”
He spoke to his daughter Francesca about Krystle’s lacklustre performance and decided she needed to go.
“But Francesca cried and begged me not to fire her. She said that Krystle was really nice and she was making her feel like a little girl again. That definitely caught my attention. Krystle wasn’t a good domestic caretaker but I loved that she was making my kids happy,” he said of his offspring, Frankie, 22, Julianna, 19, and Sal, 17.
Instead of giving her the boot, he eventually gave her a ring. The pair fell in love and married in 2017, despite the fact that Krystle is 20 years his junior and only has seven years on his eldest.
Their relationship has gone viral on TikTok because of their unique meet-cute.
The pair were initially apathetic toward each other, but Ben admitted he was attracted to his charge after seeing her dressed up one night. It took longer for Krystle, 29, to warm up.
“We didn’t like each other when we first met — I hated Ben if I’m honest,” she said. “But over time, we started talking and then he invited me and my son over at Christmas. I wasn’t going to show up but the kids begged me to come. When I came over on Christmas Eve, I was touched by all the presents Ben had bought for my son. That was a turning point — I realised he was a nice guy.”
Soon after, his kids went to Florida to visit family, so she texted him to check on them and they struck up a texting relationship. The pair went on a date but kept it from the kids, who eventually saw them hold hands and screamed with excitement.
Now the pair have a happy blended family including Krystle’s son Kashton, 10. Still, she is often mistaken for Ben’s daughter.
“When we vacation together as a family or pose for a family portrait, people mistake Krystle for being one of my three daughters. It doesn’t bother me — I’m used to it now,” he said.
Their relationship has drawn negative comments online.
“They tell me that he’ll start a relationship with the next nanny that comes along and that ‘You can’t turn a ho into a housewife’. But Ben and I have been together a long time. I guess people online are interested in us because the nanny becoming the stepmum is like a storyline out of a romantic comedy.”
According to Ben, social-media commentators accuse his younger spouse of being a gold digger but he sees her as integral to his success.
“I didn’t have much money when I met her. I call Krystle my lucky charm because my business only really took off when we started dating,” said Ben, adding that he likes to party and Krystle is more of a homebody.
And there has been one big dynamic flip in the household: the former nanny is now the boss.
“I definitely don’t look for a nanny or a secretary myself anymore though — Krystle hires anyone I need now,” said Ben.
This article was originally published by the New York Post and reproduced with permission
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