A woman who married a man who is 43 years older than her has slammed people who say she’s ‘just after his money’.
Imani Cupé, 34, from San Diego, has been with now-husband Larry Scott, a 77-year-old accountant, for nearly a decade after meeting online.
But due to the huge difference in their ages, Imani has often been subjected to assumptions that she has ulterior motives.
While she admitted that her lover ‘spoils’ her, she insists that it is true love that keeps them together.
The couple from San Diego recently confirmed their marriage and put an end to the ongoing rumors by disclosing that they had both agreed to a prenuptial arrangement.
‘People assume I’m only with Larry for his money,’ Imani, a part-time student and actor, said.
Addressing some negative feedback received online, one of them revealed, “I have come across remarks suggesting that I am with my partner solely for financial gains or because I am pretending to be straight for financial security.”
The 34-year-old added: ‘Some people try to insinuate that our relationship isn’t genuine. But it doesn’t phase me at all.
Imani continued: ‘I find it humorous and I can understand why people would assume that – after all, he is much wealthier than I am.
‘It’s just funny to me that people think that I would spend 10 years with someone and only be looking at the money.
‘Larry has a wonderful heart and near perfect character, and that’s why I’m with him.
‘If he was a billionaire and didn’t have the qualities he possesses, I would not be with him.
Laughing off such comments, they shared a light-hearted incident from TikTok where someone commented, “Girl, your bills must be taken care of,” to which they responded positively, stating, “That’s accurate – I never stress about bill payments!”
Despite viewers claiming that Imani is only with her partner for money, the pair signed a prenup prior to their 28 December nuptials.
A prenup is a legal contract signed prior to marriage, which outlines how their assets will be divided in the event of a divorce – and are often used to protect your own finances.
Imani said: ‘As far as the prenup goes, it was both of our ideas to have one without question.
‘The main purpose is to protect both of our individual assets during the marriage and to ensure that if we ever decide to divorce, for whatever reason, we will both be protected.
‘Larry wanted to make sure I had my own lawyer too so that there were no discrepancies.
‘Although divorce isn’t the plan, we still want to be smart and protected because you never know how life goes.’
The pair rang the new year in as newlyweds, having shared a low-key wedding day with their closest loved ones a few days prior.
Imani said of their big day: ‘We had a small ceremony at our house and his daughter got ordained online and married us.’
She added: ‘Everything was very last minute, but it was everything I could’ve asked for and more.
‘It was just Larry’s daughter and her husband and kids with us.
‘One of his grandkids read a beautiful poem she found about marriage, after we read our vows.
‘Afterwards we toasted with a glass of champagne and had cupcakes, then we played a family game for a while and a little while later they went home.
‘The next day we had a really nice dinner at an upscale steakhouse.
‘We’re planning a big wedding reception to happen within the next six months so everyone can celebrate with us.’
The newlyweds are currently holidaying in Hong Kong and Thailand, and have a honeymoon in Santorini planned.
Imani and Larry have been together for nine years, after meeting on eHarmony dating site.
After spending years together, the pair got engaged in 2023.
Imani said: ‘At the start of our relationship, we bonded heavily over travelling.
‘I had just gotten my passport before I met him and he loves to travel and had quite a few things planned already.
‘Within the first two months of us being together, he already planned our first trip to Hawaii and since then we’ve been to 20 different countries.’
Ahead of their wedding, Imani had said: ‘I’m really excited about marrying Larry.
‘This feels like a once in a lifetime opportunity with the most special person I’ve ever known and will ever know.
‘This is one the biggest commitments I’ve ever made and I know I’m making a good decision.
‘I don’t feel like being married will put an end to the haters and trolls.
‘They’re going to hate and troll whether we’re married or not.’
