Stephanie and Octavio, from TLC's upcoming new special "Extreme Cougar Wives," might raise some eyebrows with their 37 year age difference, but they say they're deeply in love and make a great couple.
Stephanie, 65, and Octavio, 28, stopped by Access Hollywood Live on Wednesday, where they chatted about how they found love.
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"I was a widow for 10 years and I was sick of being a widow," Stephanie told Billy Bush and Kit Hoover. "I wanted somebody to love again. All I wanted to do was fall in love again. I wanted somebody who was smart, who was fierce, and who was passionate."
A chance encounter at a restaurant where Octavio worked changed their lives.
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"I was 64, I had never been in a bar by myself or in a restaurant by myself... I looked across [the room] and he had me in his sights," she explained.
"I had never seen her at the restaurant, so I noticed her and thought, 'She's probably married.' I mean a woman this age and that beautiful? She's probably married," he recalled. "So I started looking for a wedding band and I didn't see one."
Octavio explained that he prefers older women, but not elderly women.
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"There's an age limit...the limit is if you look like my grandma we're not doing it. Yeah, if you remind me of my grandma, we're done," he explained.
He told Billy and Kit that other women have been more receptive of their relationship.
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"Some of my friends who have never been in a relationship don't agree with it. They're always pushing me to talk to a girl my age. The ones that have been in serious relationships totally understand, especially girls, believe it or not. My female friends have either dated much older men or look at us and see that [our love] is genuine," he said. "My mom is absolutely great with this."
Stephanie believes her late husband would also approve.
"He'd go, 'Lucky girl!'" she said.
And what about Octavio's celebrity crush?
"Sally Field," he revealed, referencing a celeb his girlfriend looks like.
And his celebrity hall pass?
"Sally Field or Jane Fonda," he said.
TLC's "Extreme Cougar Wives" special airs on November 25 at 10/9c.
-- Jesse Spero
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