Jonathan Ashton and his partner Lyndsey have hit back at trolls who have cruelly criticised their relationship, with the pair explaining the real reason for Lyndsey’s youthful appearance
Cruel trolls have targeted a couple for their age-gap appearance, despite there only being five years between them.
Jonathan Ashton, 28, and his partner Lyndsey, 23, have been criticised by trolls who have targeted Lyndsey’s youthful appearance. Lyndsey, who works as a cashier, has revealed that people often assume that she is a teenager because of her petite frame – something which leads to comments about her relationship.
The pair, who have been together for seven years, met after being set up by Lyndsey’s mother after both working for her family business. After the first meeting, Jonathan thought she was “12 or 13-years-old”, though for Lydnsey it was love at first sight. The rest is history and the pair began seeing each other and their relationship has gone from strength to strength despite harsh comments from strangers.
At 4ft10, Lyndsey’s frame is a result of a rare form of cancer she was diagnosed with when she was a child. At just five-years-old, she was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, which is a type of soft tissue sarcoma that grows in supportive tissues in the body.
Doctors at Bristol Children’s Hospital discovered she had a tumour growing on her pituitary gland behind her left eye, meaning she wasn’t able to open her eyes properly. The tumour was eradicated following surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, though Lyndsey has said that this left her eyesight “ruined”. As well as affecting her vision, the cancer affected the hormones produced by her pituitary gland, causing her to stop growing.
In an interview with The Sun, the mum-of-one discussed her experience and opened up on the trolling that she has faced. “I’ve encountered criticism all my life with people claiming I’m lying about my age. I’m accused of being a ‘nine-year-old playing dress up’ while my man is trolled for being a weirdo,” she said.
She added: “I’m asked if I’m in primary school and can’t even buy alcohol without being asked for ID.” When she’s out in public, Lyndsey explained that people can stare at her, adding that the trolling she received worsened during her pregnancy.
Speaking on the show Love Don’t Judge, Jonathan said: “Lyndsey’s size doesn’t bother me. Everyone comes in all different shapes and sizes, don’t they?”
Sadly, Lyndsey added that trolls have used her appearance to make hurtful comments about her relationship with Jonathan too. “People assume in our relationship that John sees me as a child and we can’t be as happy as we are,” she said to Truly on YouTube. Jonathan added: “It can be hard but because we love one another we just push it to one side.”
Despite doing their best to ignore the comments, some instances can be particularly hurtful. During a trip to Exmouth, Lyndsey, who was heavily pregnant, and Jonathan were shouted at by a stranger. They said: “Why are you holding hands with a child, weirdo?” While another asked: “Is that kid pregnant?”
