I found my future husband in the METAVERSE – and we first met as virtual avatars

MOVE over Tinder – Love is in the virtual air of the metaverse, where a couple first met as avatars.

Now Brits Eilir Roberts, 32, and Marc Charlton, 36, are busy with plans to tie the knot next year.

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The virtual romance began when Roberts — a real-world critical care physician — bought one Oculus headset as an escape from the stresses of life.

Then one day a “dark-haired, bearded avatar wearing a pink hoodie” caught his eye.

“I could hear him chatting with other avatars and was so impressed with his confidence and presence,” he said New York Post.

“It took me a few days to get up the courage to actually speak to him; when I finally did, there was an instant connection.”

Soon they were spending hours together in the virtual world and eventually switched to more traditional means of communication like texting and social media.

After two months of online flirting and 3D nightclubs, the couple decided to meet in person.

Roberts took a five-hour train from his home in North Wales to London personal trainer Charlton.

“As soon as I saw him waiting for me in the train station parking lot, it was the same connection as in VR,” he said.

“I fell in love with him all over again!”

Charlton added: “I felt like I knew him fully as I saw him interact with other people and have fun experiences together metaverse.

“When I met him, it didn’t feel too different, except I was looking at a real person, not a digital version of a person.”

Charlton made the trip to North Wales for their next rendez-vous in December 2020.

But with a coronavirus lockdown, the lovebirds thought it best to get through it together.

Fast forward to October 2021 and the couple have decided to get married, with a date set for September next year.

And of course it wouldn’t be the same without a VR element.

So they are also planning an event in the metaverse to celebrate there with virtual friends as well.

Charlton believes things worked out between them because they met through the Metaverse rather than a dating app.

And they still go on “nights out” in the metaverse, connecting from separate rooms.

“I really got to know this person through VR,” he said.

Since matching, the two have developed their own Metaverse dating service called DatesVR.

“We need to help other people make wonderful, meaningful connections,” Charlton recently told The Sun.

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