Jacob is 71 when he comes out, but his wife remains: ‘I wake her up with a kiss’ | Home

“Jacob, now I want to know. I think you like men too.” Jacob Diederiks – then 71, now 80 – stands despondent in the living room of his apartment in Emmeloord. Opposite him is Paulien, with whom he has been married for almost fifty years. Tears well up in his eyes, he kneels and begins to sob. ,,Forgive me. Forgive me,” he cries. ,,I could not do it.” She looks at him and calmly says: “Actually, I’ve always known.”

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