‘Mind your business’: Retired gay vicar and husband, 25, slam haters on The Jeremy Kyle Show
Florin Marin and Philip Clements on the Jeremy Kyle Show
Retired vicar Philip Clements and his former husband, who is 24 years his junior, appeared together on The Jeremy Kyle Show on Thursday (28 June) to tell the press and others who condemn their relationship to “mind their business.”
Despite revealing on the ITV talk show that they are not “permanently together,” they both insisted that they do love each other, their relationship is better than it ever was and that they are working on becoming a couple again.
“When we weren’t together, I missed him enormously. He’s the one for me,” Clements enthusiastically told the live audience.
Male model Florin Marin, 25, laughed off the accusations that he’s a gold digger (ITV/YouTube)
The pair first made headlines back in December 2017 when Clements, 79, was left penniless and homeless after his marriage to Florin Marin, 25, ended. It was widely reported that the priest had sold his home in Sandwich, Kent to buy a property in Romania, where Marin is originally from – but the couple split just days after he signed the apartment over to model Marin.
Many news publications were quick to brand Marin ‘a gold digger’, which host Jeremy Kyle addressed on the show. Marin laughed off the accusations and stated that he thinks the nickname is “beautiful, because [it means] the people are interested in [him].”
Meanwhile, Clements attempted to explained that their story was “not quite as simple” as the media had made it out to be. He said: “I bought a beautiful new flat in Bucharest. We were living there and we had married by that time.
Retired vicar Philip Clements met Florin Marin on Gaydar three years ago (Philip Clements/Facebook)
“That’s where I was going to settle. I’d put the house in his name so he’d feel secure when I die – because you’ve got to think about those sorts of things when you get to my age.”
“But we had a bit of a tiff, as most relationships do, based on the fact that he was asleep at two o’clock in the afternoon having come in at five o’clock in the morning because he likes clubbing,” he continued, claiming that the split had nothing to do with his assets but because they weren’t seeing eye-to-eye.
“He said I was too old to go to a club. It was like I was Cinderella, I was left at home. I woke him up and he was very cross; he started punching my leg a bit.
The pair are not “permanently together” but claim they are hoping to rekindle their relationship (ITV/YouTube)
Clements went on to admit that their age difference likely had a negative impact on their relationship during that time. However, it wasn’t something that he ever really thought about when he first met Marin online three years ago.
“There was a picture of him on Gaydar in his birthday suit and I fell for that in a big way,” he joked. “I’m not immortal and want to enjoy my life. I like a toyboy! Being made a fool of can be very nice, especially when it’s a handsome young man making a fool of you. I’m very happy with that.”
Concerned by Clements’ comments, Kyle candidly asked whether Clements thinks he’s “being made a fool of,” to which the pensioner replied: “No, because our relationship has been tested, when I haven’t had money. When he first met me, I just had my pensions and it wasn’t until we sold the house that I had money… which I could spend on him, in part. To begin with, I could buy him very little.
Jeremy Kyle quizzed them on their relationship during their segment (ITV/YouTube)
He added that, when they are together, the couple tend to have an open relationship due to Clements’ physical limitations.
“He understands. But we’re very loving to one another; we embrace, we kiss, we do a lot of nice things together. We have an arrangement,” the former boarding school chamberlain said. “I said to Florin that if he has any other relationships, one night stands or whatever, that he should tell me but I’m not going to be angry about it. I’m not sad about it.”
“I’m here to let people know what we’re really like,” Clements concluded. “These comments that we’ve had – about me being a dirty old, man and that sort of thing – have been horrible but the people who write these comments don’t know us as people. My friends support me!
“We did this because we want to show people we’re just normal people. I want the opportunity for people to meet us. We’ve got nothing to be ashamed about.”
