'I married Nigerian toyboy and had twins at 56 - my kids were fuming but I don't care'

Realising that for some years she hadn't been happy in hermarriage, in 2019 at the age of 51, Angela Peters got divorced from her husband. They had three children together and she’d relished raising them along with her two kids from a previous relationship. Having a family is all she had wanted from a young age.

She had her first child Sheana, now 37, when she was 19 and her brother Heath, 33, followed four years later. After marrying her first husband, Kallum, 32 arrived and they went on to have two more kids, Deina, 28, and Gabriel, 18.

READ MORE: Woman forced to dig her own grave escapes kidnap using friend's dead body

Being a mum was all she had known and Angela, who grew up on the Gold Coast in Australia, "longed" to marry again. She knew that more babies were off the cards because of her age and being perimenopausal and she was at peace with that. "I had five incredible children and now could focus on myself, travel and starting my own business in disability services," she told The Sun.

By March 2020, Angela, who also has 12 grandchildren, had decided to take the plunge and try her luck in the world of internet dating. She started chatting to a Nigerian man called Emeka, who was living in Senegal. Although he was good to talk to, she realised he wasn’t for her.

However when he sent her a picture of his family, she spotted his brother, Bright, and was immediately struck by cupid’s arrow. “It was like a thunderbolt - I knew this was the man I was meant to be with," she revealed.

Emeka happily gave Angela his brother’s number and even though he was a little taken aback when she told him how she felt, they hit it off and would speak for hours every day about their lives, which were very different. He was working in South Africa and had been trying to provide for his family from a young age but had never married or had children.

They both wanted a relationship with each other so Angela was honest about the stage of life she was at and that it meant she couldn’t have any more children. Despite this, Bright wasn’t bothered and said he knew they would one day have twin girls together.

The couple finally met for the first time in February 2021 when Angela flew to Nigeria, where he was now based. Things moved quickly from there. "Hugging him for the first time, I felt like I’d known him my whole life," she explained. "When Bright proposed the next day, I was stunned. But I knew I wanted to marry him, and nine days later we said our vows in a tiny civil ceremony."

Understandably, Angela’s children were concerned their mum had met a scammer and were mortified she had married him so quickly.

And there was a nagging feeling in Angela’s mind though about her husband never being able to become a father. So at the age of 54, she started to look into IVF but was dismayed to learn the age limit in Australia was 52. In desperation, she asked her daughters to consider surrogacy but they refused.

It was during a visit to Nigeria that their dream came true when a clinic there agreed to carry out the procedure using a donor egg with Bright’s sperm. Angela’s children were worried about their mum carrying a child at 56 but she was fit and healthy so they went ahead.

In December 2023, Angela and Bright discovered they were expecting. A scan revealed it was twins and just as he had said right at the beginning of their unlikely romance, it was girls. In August 2024 Khorus and Knowyn were born five minutes apart, weighing 5lb each, with their parents overcome with joy. It was like riding a bike for Angela, who had plenty of experience with night feeds and nappies.

One of her daughters had suggested she share her journey on TikTok to give hope to other women who were struggling to conceive or have children. Predictably, she encountered online negativity from those critical of her age who called her selfish. But Angela argues that no one cares when men have children in their 60s and there’s no guarantee on anyone’s lifespan.

Although she is regularly mistaken for the babies’ grandmother, Angela shrugs it off and is blissfully happy knowing the twins have united her entire family. She wants her story to give hope to others who are longing for a child. "To those who dream of motherhood later in life, don’t lose hope," she urges. "My journey took me across continents, but it’s led me to this beautiful moment. Now, both my hands and my heart are full."