Twins born to 71-year-old UK father

November 3, 2009 by Shawn Douglas
Filed under: News

Twin daughters were born to a man thought to be the UK’s oldest father of twins.

Richard Roden has disputably become Britain’s oldest father of twins after his wife Lisa, 25, gave birth to daughters Emily and Ruby.

Frequently mistaken as the granddad of the children, Roden told The Sun, “The twins are proof of our love—a love that has defied the 46-year age gap and the gossips.”

Roden, a retired welder from Walsall, first became a father when he was 20, and he went on to have nine more in his first and second marriages.

No stranger to fatherhood, Roden says that his age wasn’t much of a barrier in their decision to have children. “Being a dad at 71 is definitely more tiring than in my 20s, but they give me such a lot of pleasure. I wouldn’t swap them for anything—not even winning the lottery. They have made my life complete.”

Richard and Lisa Roden first met when, walking home from college on a rainy day, Richard offered Lisa a ride. Richard had seen Lisa before as they were one classroom apart, Richard taking basic literacy courses while Lisa was studying math and English. The friendship blossomed, and they were married a year later.

Four years and twin daughters later, the couple has weathered a lot of criticism from family and strangers alike.

“They used to shout ‘cradle snatcher’ at Richard,” said Lisa Roden to The Sun. “It used to really upset me at first. I said to Richard we should stay inside. But he said, ‘We shouldn’t be ashamed of being together.’ So I plucked up courage and we went out.”

“A few of Richard’s daughters took it badly when we got together. They thought the age gap between us was too big. And my family told me that it wouldn’t last, but four years later we are still together, so we have proved them all wrong.”

“I do worry about something happening to Richard and the twins being left without a dad,” she added. “But he is fit and healthy for his age. We are just taking each day as it comes. The twins have really made our happiness complete, and Richard seems 20 years younger now.”