Bride-to-be aged 106 becomes ‘world’s oldest woman to get engaged’ (to man 40 years her junior)

A 106-year-old Brazilian pensioner is believed to be the world’s oldest person to get engaged – to a man 40 years her junior.

Valdemira Rodrigues de Oliveira got engaged to 66-year-old Aparecido Dias Jacob in a special ceremony, despite being banned by doctors from marrying each other.

The paid, known as Valda and Jaco, have a combined age of 172 years and live in separate rooms at Nossa Senhora Fatima retirement home in Pirassununga, south east Brazil.

They have been together for three years and both said they wanted to get married and live in their own little house. But after medics assessed the couple, they vetoed their marriage, warning that they will not be able to cope with living on their own.

Instead, as part of an initiative called the ‘Project of Dreams’ the couple exchanged engagement rings in a betrothal service organised by volunteers.

Volunteer Fabiane Zaffalon said: “As they couldn’t get married we came up with another way to make their dreams come true by holding an engagement ceremony at the retirement home.”

The special event was lavishly decorated with a four-tier cake, flowers, cupid ornaments and scattered rose petals. Valda, who wore a white dress, pearls around her neck and comfortable slippers, walked down the aisle with her Zimmer-frame decorated with roses.

MORE: Kylie Minogue CONFIRMS split from fiancé Joshua Sasse on Instagram
MORE: TV programme reveals moment when Terry Pratchett realised he was ‘dead’

After a short message and prayer, the happy couple said “yes” to stay loyal to each other and exchanged engagement rings in front of 150 guests.

It’s the first time both Valda and Jaco have been engaged. Neither of them have children and most of Valda’s relatives have died while Jaco has lost touch with his family.

The lovestruck pair met at the residential home in 2014 and it was love at first sight for Jaco, who has been living in the home for 19 years.

He said: “I fell in love with Valda from the moment I saw her. I know she’s a little older than me, but that doesn’t matter because she makes me really happy.”

The couple are inseparable and spend all day with each other, chatting, eating their meals together and sitting side by side in the home.

Speaking of her love for Jaco, Valda said: “If he dies, I die too. I know it’s not going to happen but I would have loved to be able to wash Jaco’s clothes, cook his meals and look after him like a wife.”