I’m a trophy wife – I demand £1,000 a week from my husband to look good
A self-styled trophy wife in a 29-year relationship with an age difference says she let her husband down by demanding a $1,000 weekly allowance.
Alyssa Armoogam, 30, met her husband, Mark, 59, on a dating app after setting her sights on an “older rich man.”
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The two hit it off and Mark, an entrepreneur and investor, impressed mother of two Alyssa by giving her $300 to pay her babysitter.
She agreed to date him if he met her conditions: she paid for her beauty treatments and gave her a weekly allowance of $1,000 to feel “safe.”
Alyssa has been married for two years now and still loves receiving romantic gifts like getaways and designer handbags.
The Miami-based influencer hopes to encourage other women to “know their worth.”
“I don’t care if someone is rich as long as he’s an asshole,” Alyssa explained.
“There is this idea that I am only with him because of his money. It was one of my requirements, but that is not why I would have married him.
“We really get the best out of each other, we see the potential in each other.”
Alyssa has always preferred dating older men – and her first crush was Robert Downey Jr.
“When I started dating older people, my mother wasn’t surprised,” she said.
Alyssa was “miserable” and “over” her last relationship when she moved to Florida in 2018.
She decided to use the dating apps, but was adamant about what she wanted: someone who was wealthy, considerate, and who had faith as an important aspect of their life.
Alyssa’s first question to potential dates was, “What do you think of Jesus?” and Mark’s answer surprised her.
“His response was so funny. He said, ‘What do I think of Jesus? I’ve been traveling around the country talking about him,'” she recalls.
“I thought, ‘Wow, I didn’t expect that,’ and it clicked from there.”
Her second demand was, “I’m willing to meet you, but you have to cover the babysitter.”
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The Kardashian matriarch, 69, met her younger man, 44, at a mutual friend’s 40th birthday party in Ibiza. They have been together since August 2014. - Sam and Aaron Taylor-Johnson – 23 years
The director, 57, and actor, 43, reportedly met at a film audition in 2009 and married in 2012. The couple share two daughters and Sam has two children from a previous marriage. - Rosie-Huntington-Whiteley and Jason Statham – 20 years
The model, 37, started dating actor Jason, 57, in 2010. They got married in 2016 and have since welcomed a son and a daughter together. - Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas – 25 years
Catherine, 55, met Michael, 80, at a film festival in 1996 and got engaged three years later. Shortly after their engagement, the couple welcomed a son and married in 2000.
“If a guy is going to argue with me about $45 for a babysitter, he’s not worth my time,” Alyssa said.
When they met for their first date, Alyssa was immediately attracted to Mark.
“His eyes literally sparkled, he has a very kind soul and his eyes sparkle,” she said.
“I really felt like I knew him and he ended up handing me $300 [£237] to cover for the babysitter.”
Mark immediately texted Alyssa asking to see her again.
“He was very persistent,” she recalls.
“I said, ‘Okay, here are my terms – I want someone to pay for my nails, hair and waxing.’
Alyssa Armoogam
“I said, ‘Okay, here are my terms – I want someone to pay for my nails, hair and waxing.’
“I want a thousand dollars [£790] weekly allowance to feel safe and I want to be exclusive.
“He immediately sent me $2,000 [£1,580] and said I wasn’t going on a date with anyone else.
“I loved it because I felt like he made it 100% clear how he felt about me.”
The money Mark sent to Alyssa meant she could put a down payment on a flat for herself and her daughter, Ziya, 11, who Mark has now adopted.
Their relationship blossomed and after two years together, Mark popped the question in 2020.
The couple married in a small legal ceremony in April 2022 and welcomed their son Keanu, two, together a month later.
Alyssa calls herself a trophy wife, but she believes her marriage is primarily a “partnership.”
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“Anything I want to pursue, I can do, every dream I have is shared and every desire is fulfilled,” she said.
She explained that in return, she is her husband’s “biggest cheerleader.”
But Alyssa loves being spoiled by Mark and she no longer gets any pocket money because they share their money equally.
“He’s such a Pisces. He’s very romantic, I told him I like getting little gifts,” she said.
“He takes that and understands it, he takes me shopping and buys me a Louis Vuitton.
‘That’s his normal behavior. That’s him romancing me.’
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Alyssa says the age difference doesn’t bother her and Mark, but some people jump to conclusions.
“When people look at me, they make assumptions about who I am and what my intentions are – because of my age and appearance,” she said.
“When people talk to me, they see how much love I pour into my family.
“There’s no doubt about why we’re together, it’s not that he’s an ugly fat fart, he’s a handsome guy.
“Age – who cares if our souls align?”
Alyssa is working on a clothing line for breastfeeding women and is considering creating a course called “Dating Like a Trophy Wife.”
“When I entered the dating scene, I had an idea of what I wanted in a man,” she explained.
“I knew what I would bring to that person’s life, which made me feel determined about my demands.
“Women don’t realize their value.”
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