He hired a “worst” nanny – and landed a wife.
In 2014, Long Island divorced business owner Ben Romano hired 23-year-old Crystal to look after his three children. The mother of one of them was not exactly a household goddess.
We desperately needed a nanny at the time. “I was working and had full day custody so I needed someone to take care of the kids,” Ben, 49, told News Dog Media.
We rented Krystle and she was honestly the worst nanny we have ever seen! Her cooking was horrible, her house cleaning was horrible and her laundry was horrible.”
He spoke to his daughter Francesca about Kristel’s lackluster performance and decided she needed to go.
“But Francesca cried and begged me not to fire her. She said Krystle was really cute and she was making her feel like a little girl again. That definitely caught my eye. She wasn’t,” he said of his offspring, Frankie, 22, Juliana, 19, and Sal, 17, Kristel is a good homemaker but I loved that she was making my kids happy.
Instead of giving her the shoe, he eventually gave her a ring. The couple fell in love and got married in 2017, despite the fact that Crystal He is twenty years younger and only seven years older than his eldest son.
Their relationship went viral on TikTok due to their one-of-a-kind encounter.
The pair were initially indifferent towards each other, but Ben admitted he was drawn to his responsibility after seeing her dressed up one night. It took Krystle, 29, longer, to warm up.
“We didn’t like each other when we first met – I hated Ben if I was being honest,” she said. “But as time went on, we started talking and then he invited me and my son for Christmas. I wasn’t going to come but the kids begged me to come. When I came on Christmas Eve, I was touched by all the gifts Ben had bought for my son. That was a turning point – I realized he was a nice guy.”
Soon, his kids went to Florida to visit family, so I texted him to check on them and they established a texting relationship. The couple went on a date but kept it away from the children, who eventually saw them holding hands and shouting excitedly.
Now the couple have a happy blended family including son Kristel Cashton, 10. However, she is often confused with Ben’s daughter.
“When we get together as a family or take a family photo, people mistake Kristel as one of my three daughters. It doesn’t bother me — I’m used to it now,” he said.
Their relationship sparked negative comments online.
“They told me he would start a relationship with the next nanny who came with him and that ‘You can’t turn a housewife into a housewife. “But Ben and I have been together for a long time. I think people on the internet are interested in us because the nanny becomes stepmother is like a story out of a romantic comedy.”
According to Bean, commentators on social media accuse his young wife of being gold prospectors, but he considers her an integral part of his success.
“I didn’t have much money when I met her. Ben said I call Krystle my lucky charm because my business only took off when we started dating,” Ben said, adding that he loves to party and that Krystle is a homely person.
And there was a great dynamic fluctuation in the family: the former nanny is now the headmistress.
“I’m definitely not looking for a nanny or a secretary anymore – Kristel is hiring anyone I need right now,” Ben said.
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