A single mum from Gloucester flew 5,000 miles to marry a man she'd never met in person and didn't speak a word of English. It might sound crazy to us but for Louise it was true love.
Their extraordinary romance began just like any ordinary night. The 39-year-old mum of one was scrolling through her Instagram when she came across a video of a rapper by the name of Jose Lopez.
His mane of afro hair and his cheeky smile melted Louise’s heart. Feeling brave, Louise left a comment: “Hi, handsome!”
READ MORE: Met Office issues double weather warning for Gloucestershire
Speaking to the Mirror, she said: “I’ve never done that before,” says Louise, 39, a body positive influencer who lives in Gloucester with her son Jesse, 21. “I love being on social media and being friendly with people, but I don't flirt! I really don’t know what came over me.”
“There was just something about him that I immediately found very attractive. I loved his style, the way he looked, and his music. I was just drawn to him.”
Jose, 29, shot her a message back saying, ‘Hola baby,” and the pair started chatting. “I was taken aback by his reply but didn’t think anything of it because it’s what you do on social networking.”
And Jose was a very good social networker, having amassed over two million followers and music fans on Instagram. The popular rapper lived in Santa Marta, Colombia, and didn’t speak a word of English. Louise didn’t speak Spanish, but, somehow, she says they muddled along.
Then one night Jose asked if she wanted to speak via video call. “I remember I was on the sofa in my nightie, ready for bed with no make-up on. But I agreed, and we just chatted as friends,” she says.
The success of their first virtual meeting led to regular catch-ups. But within a few weeks, the catch-ups became virtual dinner dates every Saturday at 8pm.
Louise fell deeply in love with Jose. “Even though we’d never met and were not together physically, he was very affectionate. We would put our noses to the screen and pretend they were rubbing - like polar bears! For me, we had the most sweet romantic courtship - even though it was all online. We did everything we could to be as intimate as possible.”
In April 2022, four months after meeting online, Jose proposed, and Louise didn’t hesitate: “We both knew we wanted to be together.”
Due to Jose’s visa issues, the couple decided to marry in Jose’s home city Santa Marta. To give them enough time to plan the big day, Louise booked her flight to Colombia for November of that year.
The first task was telling her shocked friends and family.
“They all thought I was crazy, and I can understand that, but I knew I was doing the right thing. My mum Linda was really worried, and my son Jesse was horrified. I knew he was just being protective, and I had to reassure him I understood exactly what I was doing.”
As Jose and his family made the wedding preparations, his bride-to-be went wedding shopping, choosing a floaty summery green dress to suit the weather. And for their first night together, Lousie brought some sexy pink lingerie and a black satin nightgown.
“I was also very excited about the first night together. Usually, we fell asleep while video calling on our phones in bed, so to spend my first night with my fiance I wanted to look my best.”
Less than a year after she sent her cheeky message to Jose, Louise was on a plane from Heathrow travelling to Colombia. Over 15 hours later, Louise’s dream came true at the arrivals gate.
She recalls: “I will never forget that moment for as long as I live. Absolute magic. And as soon as I looked at him, touched him or saw him, I knew that everything I felt was real; we kissed and even rubbed noses for real, “ she laughs.
The couple still had to rely on translation apps, but communication felt much easier being physically together. Jose took his blushing fiancée back to his apartment, where he’d scattered rose petals on the bed.
That evening they made love for the first time. “It was the best night of my life - everything I hoped it would be,” she reveals. Eight days later, the couple were married.
The wedding, Louise admits, though, wasn’t the stuff of her dreams. “We were in a register office, and afterwards had a crisps and wine buffet in the basem*nt of a hotel with his family. I was sad my family couldn’t make it but the main thing was that I was finally married to the man I loved.
The newlyweds flew back to the UK, and Jose spent three months living in Louise’s home with her son Jesse - before having to fly back to Colombia. He has applied to live in the UK and is waiting for his application to be approved.
Louise is counting down the days until the pair can be together, where she will help Jose find work.
”My son has struggled to accept Jose as my husband, but my mum has now welcomed Jose into our family. I know once we can be together forever, it will be my true happy ending.“
Louise’s love story features in the brand-new series of 90 Day Fiance UK, which comes to discovery+ in the UK on Sunday.
