A 42 year old mum-of-two from Somerset says she is often mistaken for a woman in her early 20s, after swiping up a storm on Tinder with 18,000 likes before settling down with her current man. Lydia Harris, who juggles serving school dinners and pulling pints as a bartender, claims regular exercise and cracking genes are her fountain of youth no nip and tuck needed.
Her fella, 36-year-old plumber Alex Brice, is apparently not chuffed when she’s carded for ID and he’s not. The glam mum is now strutting her stuff in the UK Calendar Girls competition, targeting a spot in the coveted 2025 charity calendar.
Spilling the beans on her unexpected social media fame, Lydia said: “I set up Tinder in 2020 and was in there for four weeks before I met my boyfriend but before I deactivated it, I noticed I had around 18k likes.”
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Lydia shared how queries about if she models or has an OnlyFans are common, while nosy Nellies ponder her age-defying looks. But for Harris, it’s all natural, stating: “I’ve had no botox or lip fillers – you see typical women now who’ve had a lot of work done but I don’t look like that. My boyfriend is 36 and is gutted because he never gets asked for ID and I’m older than him.”
Lydia, a mother to 15 year old twins, revealed that she joined Tinder after parting ways with her husband of 13 years in 2020. She was astounded by the number of potential matches she received, reports Bristol Live.
(Image: SWNS)
When working behind the bar at events, Lydia often catches the eye of men who question her age and are left in disbelief when she reveals it.
She insists there’s no secret to her youthful looks, attributing it to regular exercise, eight hours of sleep each night, minimal alcohol consumption, and the use of a Boots own-brand scar reduction serum. “I get asked for ID a lot – I’ve got used to it now,” she admitted.
“I’m always ready with my ID in case they ask and most of the time they do. When I show it they’re very taken aback and either apologise or ask how I look so good.”
“The response I’ve received from Calendar Girls has been a massive confidence boost.”
After another UK Calendar Girls contestant suggested she should apply upon seeing her Instagram posts @lyd. sj2, Lydia decided to give it a shot being just three years shy of the age limit for entrants.
Now, Lydia is aiming to reach the UK Calendar Girls final, which would secure her a spot in the 2025 calendar, where 80 competitors are whittled down to just 12 finalists.
“Modelling is something I’ve always been interested in,” she confessed. “I’m not really a confident person but I am confident in front of the camera and enjoy doing it.