Originally published: 10 June 2009
When Kayley Woodhouse started a seedy affair with married trucker Eddie Robertson, he hatched a bizarre plan to hide it from his wife Iris.
Unbelievably, the 54 year old told her that Kayley, then 17, was his long-lost daughter. However, Iris eventually saw through their lies and threw Eddie out. Now, four years on, the fake father and daughter are planning to marry.
'After a few weeks I told him I loved him even though we'd never met, and he said he felt the same'
Kayley, now 22, says: “Pretending to be Eddie’s daughter was wrong, but we’d have done anything to be together.”
Kayley met Eddie in May 2005, when she found his frequency over CB radio while living in Weston-Super-Mare.
Kayley, who lost her dad to cancer, recalls: “Me and my sister Adele were looking for people to talk to and found Eddie. He had a lovely warm voice and I gave him my mobile number so we could talk more.
He told me about his wife and his daughter, Corrina, who is a year younger than me, and I told him about my boyfriend, Aaron, 18, who I’d been with for two years.
“Eddie became like my counseller. After a few weeks I told him I loved him even though we’d never met, and he said he felt the same. I wanted him to look after me.”
Two months later the couple sneaked off to Devon and slept together for the first time. “It was really nice,” says Kayley. “The age gap didn’t bother me at all.
“Afterwards Eddie suggested taking me back to his house in Aberdeen and pretending that I was his daughter. I thought it was weird but I wanted to be with him. I felt bad about my boyfriend but you can’t help who you fall for.”
When Eddie introduced his “daughter” to his family, he said that Kayley’s mum had contacted him out of the blue to break the news that he had a love child after he’d had a fling when he and Iris were engaged. Although initially furious, Iris forgave him.
“Iris cooked me dinner and put up a bed for me in Corrina’s room,” says Kayley. “When she gave me a hug I felt guilty.”
Over the next five months, Kayley visited Eddie and Iris’ home three times. She shamelessly admits: “One night we all went out and I pretended I was drunk so Eddie took me home, then we had sex in their bed.”
At other times they’d have sex in the back of Eddie’s truck. But in October 2005, he accidentally revealed their ruse.
Eddie was at a party when he saw another man talking to Kayley. He says: “I saw red and told him to get his hands off my woman.”
Livid, Iris kicked Eddie out of home and he moved into a caravan with Kayley.
She says: “I called my boyfriend straight away to tell him. I felt bad and he was crying. My sister was furious and tried to stop me, but I was too in love. I felt sorry for Iris too, but I knew she’d be OK.”
'When he gets old I'll look after him, because I love him'
The couple now rent a three-bed flat and Eddie, who divorced Iris two years ago, plans to propose on holiday in Dubai next year.
And although Eddie’s had two heart attacks, Kayley insists she doesn’t worry about the future: “When he gets old I’ll look after him, because I love him. We won’t have children, so we’ll only have each other.
She adds: “People mistake him for my dad but we don’t care what other people think. Luckily, my family have come round and even Iris and Corrina have forgiven us.”
Eddie, who speaks to Corrina every week, says: “We’ve both suffered from hurting the people we love but it’s been worth it.”
Kayley adds: “I realise when I first got together with Eddie I was looking for a father figure but now it’s very different. He may not be young and good-looking but he gives me security.”
By Natalie Corp