Inside Meghan Markle's father Thomas' new whirlwind romance with nurse 35 years his junior as he makes sad 'neglect' confession
Thomas has also hit back at the "haters"Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has confirmed his new romance with a Filipina nurse 35 years his junior.
Thomas, 81, has gone through a health ordeal in recent months. In December, Thomas underwent life-saving surgery in the Philippines. Doctors were forced to amputate his left leg below the knee due to a blood clot.
He remains estranged from his daughter Meghan after they fell out in the lead-up to her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.
But now, after feeling “neglected and sad for so many years”, Thomas has revealed he’s found happiness again.
Thomas Markle’s new romance with nurse 35 years his junior
In a new interview, Thomas has opened up about his new romance.
He told the Mail on Sunday: “I never expected to find joy and happiness again at my age. I felt neglected and sad for so many years but now I am enjoying life again. After so many tough times, I feel truly blessed to have found someone very special who takes such good care of me.”
Thomas reportedly met nurse Rio Canedo, 46, as he recovered from life-threatening surgery.
Rio is a mother to two grown children. She apparently had no idea who Thomas was when she first met him in mid-December last year.
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Following his surgery, Thomas had checked into a rehab hospital where Rio works in Cebu, Philippines. Thomas and his son, Thomas Markle Jr, moved to the Philippines last January.
Thomas hits back at ‘haters’ over new age gap romance
Thomas also had something to say for any negative reaction to his newfound love.
He added to the Mail: “I know some people will say hurtful things but I don’t care. I want to talk about this because I never thought I would ever be happy again.”
Thomas said he wants people to know that “you’re never too old to find peace and love”.
I never expected to find joy and happiness again at my age.
He added: “There’s a lot of negative things going on in the world and if my story can give a little hope to one person then I’m happy. The haters will hate but, to be honest, I don’t give a damn. Life is for living. There’s nothing more important in life than love.”
Thomas said he moved to the Philippines to have a “gentler way of life” and never expected to meet Rio and “have my life changed in such a wonderful way”.
Thomas said Rio is taking good care of him and admitted after feeling “sad” about his estrangement from Meghan for so long, he finally feels like he can “laugh again”.
Thomas’ fallout with daughter Meghan
Meghan, 44, and her father have been estranged since 2018.
Their relationship fell apart after Thomas posed for paparazzi photos ahead of her wedding to Harry, something he later described as a misguided attempt to improve his public image.
He suffered two heart attacks in the days before the wedding and didn’t attend. Harry’s father King Charles walked Meghan partway down the aisle, a gesture Thomas later called “incredibly kind”.
Read more: Meghan Markle makes contact with her father as statement reveals ‘exceedingly difficult’ task
In the years since, Thomas has reached out publicly to Meghan several times to reconcile.
He has also expressed his desire to meet Harry and his grandchildren, Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four.
That has yet to happen, however.
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