A teenage boy hit the headlines after marrying a 71-year-old grandmother whom he met at her son’s funeral.

26-year-old Gary Hardwick of Tennessee was just 17 years old when he met and married Almeda, now 80, despite facing a severe backlash from friends and strangers alike.

In the years following their wedding day, the couple continued defying the odds and only grew stronger each day. Sparking even more controversy, the pair also went on to launch a joint OnlyFans account where they share racy content.

Now, nine years after he fell head over heels in love with Almeda, Gary paid a touching tribute to his wife that’s been making rounds on the internet.

In his post, Gary branded himself the “luckiest husband” in the world as he said his wife is a true woman with a heart of gold.

“Happy birthday to the most amazing wife in the world. Today is not only your day, but most importantly, today is about celebrating the birth of such a wonderful & true woman with such a heart of gold,” he said.

“I’m the luckiest husband for everyday that I get to wake up beside you. You make me the happiest man each and every day and I want to always make you the happiest woman.”

He continued: “You deserve the world and until my last breath I’ll work hard to give you that. All of my happiest moments are moments I share with you. I hope you have the best birthday ever today and I hope you enjoy all of your surprises my love.

“You’re truly the love of my lifetime and I love you with every beat of my heart. Here’s to celebrating my queen. Happy Birthday Babydoll.”

Previously, the couple also hit back at their critics saying their relationship was true love while Almeda insisted that her husband was very mature for his age.

Their families and friends, however, don’t seem to be too understanding of their relationship. While one of Almeda’s sons completely disowned his mother after she started dating Gary, the woman’s grandchildren suggested it was weird to refer to the young man as their stepgrandfather.

“I only called him grandfather once and it was when I was drunk. In my head, I see him as a friend more than a grandfather. But you know, our grandmother is happy,” Aaron, who is three years older than Gary, admitted.

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