Widow, 55, finds love with Jamaican man 19 years younger in TikTok romance after husband's cancer fight

A widow discovered love once more with a man 26 years younger after he made contact on TikTok - and is relocating 550 miles to Jamaica to be alongside him. Kimberley Hurst, 55, initially connected with now partner Jevor Hardware, 29, on the social media app in April 2025 and the two exchanged messages as mates. During this period, Kimberly's husband was enduring a six-month battle with cancer and died in June 2025. Jevor contacted Kimberly to see how she was coping after her bereavement, but she admits she "thought he was a player" initially. To recover, she opted to jet off to Jamaica for some respite, playfully suggesting to Jevor he could serve as her "tour guide". Jevor accepted the invitation, collecting Kimberly from the airport and they developed feelings for one another while spending the week together – with Jevor showing her "how to twerk" and taking her snorkelling. The couple became official on August 4, 2025 and Kimberly has been travelling to Jamaica every six weeks since to see her partner – with intentions to relocate there permanently later this year. Despite encountering some criticism online regarding their 17 year age-gap romance, Kimberly says they "don't let it affect" them. Kimberly, a security complaints manager, from Tampa, Florida, says: "Believe it or not we'll call each other and read the comments back and forth and laugh. "A lot of people talk about a green card or say he 'uses' me. The most important part is we don't allow it to affect our relationship. "It really affects our family and friends and we've acknowledged everyone has a right to an opinion but not everyone has an insight into our life. I can't lie in the beginning at the start it was hard to read the comments and they were really harsh. "I can say that you can take it one or two ways – by crying or taking it and running in a way to teach people it is OK to be in an age gap relationship because if you love and treat with respect, your eyes are open and you don't accept anything less from that person." Kimberly first met Jevor on TikTok, and the pair forged a friendship after chatting during a live stream. Following her trip to Jamaica, the two decided to take things further and begin dating. "A few days before I went to Jamaica we were talking over video chat, he'd never seen me and I'd never seen him," Kimberly said. "He picked me up at the airport. It was crazy, there was an instant attraction, and the chemistry was all there. "He took me to the village to meet his family and I was shocked. I met his dad, brother, sister and cousins, he was taking stuff seriously. "That week I said 'I'm telling you right now I'm a one man kind of girl, you need to make a choice now'". Kimberly reveals that "everybody was very surprised" when she embarked on a new romance following her loss, yet she firmly believes it is "my life, my choice", openly admitting she spent much of her previous relationship "not happy". The pair began a serious relationship in August 2025 and Kimberly returned to Jamaica just a month afterwards to stay at Jevor's residence. "He was cooking for me, pampering me and giving me foot massages," she says. "From the moment we met until now he's been consistent and never changed. "We call each other every morning. On Valentine's weekend we both agreed I would move to Jamaica rather than him coming to the US." Jevor – who is a singer under the name Tappest Official – has even penned tracks about Kimberly and includes her in his music videos. "There's a song called 'She Loves Me' that he wrote for me and I featured in that music video," Kimberly says. "That was huge. I've never seen a big artist singing to their wives and have them perform in videos with them. "He's really making a point of me being in all aspects of his life". Jevor, a dancehall artist, reveals he concentrates on the "positive comments" about their romance and is not phased by the negative. "She is my everything," he says. "I love everything about her. "When we first met we got a lot of judgement about the age gap but it's not stopped nothing from going on, because she is who I choose. She's my lady so I put my lady into everything I do, including my music". Kimberly is hoping to relocate to Jamaica by the end of 2026.