I had a baby with my stepson
I know some will judge but we are happy
When she posted ‘then and now’ photos of her and her partner on Instagram last year, Marina Balmasheva caused a stir.
The present-day snap showed Marina, 35, in the arms of her boyfriend, Vladimir Shavyrin, 20.
In the older photo, Marina, then 22, stands beside Vladimir, then just seven.
But it wasn’t just the couple’s age gap that sparked interest.
It was the fact that Marina was Vladimir’s stepmum.
You never know how life will turn out and when you will meet a person who makes you smile, Marina captioned the post. I know that some will judge us, others will support us, but we are happy.
Marina was married to Vladimir’s dad, Alexey, for more than a decade and, as well as caring for his son, Vladimir, they adopted ve children together.
During their marriage, Marina became a popular Russian blogger and in uencer after sharing her weight-loss journey online.
In 2017, she split from Alexey, who was 10 years older than her. And she started dating Vladimir, with the couple going on to marry in 2020. They insist they didn’t have an affair and Marina, now 36, has expressed regret for any hurt the pair’s relationship has caused the rest of the family.
‘I was ashamed that I killed the stability of mum and dad,’ she said, adding that her adopted children, who still live with Alexey, had taken the change ‘calmly’.
In January this year, the couple welcomed a baby girl named Olga into the world.
‘I love and
I am loved,’ Marina says. ●