A loved-up couple say they receive vile abuse online because of their huge height difference. Zakia and Rob met five years ago via Facebook , and their relationship blossomed as they spoke to each other on video chats. It wasn't until the pair met however that 5ft 6in Zakia discovered she towered over 4ft 5in Rob.
Speaking on Love Don't Judge, she said: "He didn't have a profile picture and he was pushing this narrative that Rob was a didn't tell type before we met. Later, I gave him a chance and he asked me a question, what did I like, and I like money." Zakia says Rob pulled up at her home in a large truck and gave her $1,000 (£775) on their first meeting.
The pair however confess it wasn't quite love at first sight. Zakia continued: "It wasn't love at first sight because he didn't tell me his height still. The height thing was still a shocker.
We've been together for six years, we've had our ups and downs. All relationships are not perfect but we definitely had some rough stages." Born with osteoarthritis - or arthrosis as it's known in the US - Rob had to wear a brace on his legs as child.
Zakia said: "I'd been seeing a lot of different couples on social media with like a disability or different height in relationships, so I'm like one day 'let's just record or whatever' and when I put it on there - he didn't like it at first but whatever - I thought they were really feeling it on here, let me just make a couple more and that's how TikTok came about." The pair however often find themselves trolled online, with commenters asking if Rob is actually her son, or suggesting she is in the relationship for online fame and money. Zakia however says she knows the comments are "fake" and what she has is "real".
She added: "We just want to show people we're having fun. This is what we're doing in our life, it might look like I'm clowning him but this is our everyday life. Us having fun, us arguing, us playing, it's just our life.
Just because he's shorter than me it looks like something it's not." While Rob does admit part of their decision to broadcast on TikTok is because Zakia "wants to be famous" and he "wants money", he says the pair "really love each other"..
