NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Lifestyle

Woman fell in love with homeless man she met on the street

By Molly Rose Pike
Daily Mail·
1 Feb, 2018 12:00 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Emmy Abrahamson fell in love with Vic Kocula while he was sleeping on the streets in Amsterdam. Photo / ITV

Emmy Abrahamson fell in love with Vic Kocula while he was sleeping on the streets in Amsterdam. Photo / ITV

A children's author has told how she fell in love with an alcoholic homeless man she met on the street - and now they're married with children.

Emmy Abrahamson, 41, from Sweden, was in Amsterdam in 2006 when Vic Kocula, a stranger, approached her, and she says that despite being struck by his 'beautiful brown eyes', she knew immediately he was sleeping rough because of his 'dirty' clothes and hair.

But the pair got to talking and there was instant chemistry - so much so that after 10 minutes of chatting, Emmy agreed to meet Vic on the same bench a week later for another date, the Daily Mail reported.

When Emmy had to return to Vienna - where she lived at the time - she suspected she'd never see or hear from Vic again, but three weeks later he called her to say he'd made his way to Austria to find her.

More than 10 years later the couple, who appeared on This Morning on Tuesday, are married with six-year-old twins, Desta and Til.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The couple were on the show to discuss the book Emmy has now written about their unlikely love story - called How to Fall in Love With a Man Who Lives in a Bush.

Emmy revealed on the show how she was instantly attracted to Vic, despite his unkempt appearance.

She explained: "Straight away I could see he was homeless because he was very dirty and so were his hands and fingernails. He was holding a briefcase which I thought only crazy people did, and later on I found out that's where he held his sleeping bag and cans of beer.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We started chatting and I realise he had the most beautiful brown eyes i'd ever seen and he made me laugh straight away."

Emmy revealed how they chatted for ten minutes before he told her to be back on the same bench a week later for their first date, where their relationship blossomed further over a romantic picnic lunch.

Vic, an American, had been backpacking around Europe when he ran out of money.

He decided he wasn't ready to go back to the US, and resorted to sleeping on the street instead.

Discover more

Lifestyle

How to spot a narcissist

02 Feb 06:00 PM
World

Woman almost killed by Tinder boyfriend reveals horrific injuries

31 Jan 10:35 PM
Lifestyle

The scariest thing that can happen in your sleep

01 Feb 09:42 PM
Lifestyle

Surprise marriage proposal derailed by tragedy

01 Feb 08:48 PM

He begged for money which he then used to make his way around, but soon fell into a pattern of drinking heavily.

Vic said: "The wheels fell off and the alcoholism kicked in heavy. It was such a gradual turn that one day I realised: "Oh my God, I'm a homeless alcoholic."'

Emmy was convinced their unlikely romance had come to an inevitable end when she had to return to Vienna, but she gave Vic her number in hope they would connect again.

Little did she know that he was desperately trying to raise enough money to make his way to see her again.

His three week silence was down to the fact he ended up in police custody after stealing a chicken to feed himself.

The couple are now married with two children. Photo / ITV
The couple are now married with two children. Photo / ITV

"I didn't know if I was going to see him again but I couldn't stop thinking about him," Emmy said on the show today.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Three weeks later [in Vienna], I'd just turned 30, and I got a phone call from Vic who said 'I'm here now', and we've been together ever since."

The couple were married in a fairytale castle wedding and Vic transformed his life, going on to retrain as an electrical engineer.

They have explained to Desta and Til how they met, but the couple aren't sure their children fully understand their unique tale.

In fact, the twins even inspired the name of Emmy's book with their childlike understanding of their parents' romance, though she admitted it has been fictionalised to make it more 'interesting'.

Vic explained: "We've told them everything that happened. I don't think they grasp the social aspects of the whole thing, they just think its funny that daddy lived in a bush."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Premium
Lifestyle

I was diagnosed with ADHD after my husband died. He never knew the real me

Premium
Lifestyle

What is a 'cortisol cocktail', and can it really help relieve stress?

Lifestyle

'Comparable to therapy': Rich-lister Anna Mowbray quits social media


Sponsored

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Premium
Premium
I was diagnosed with ADHD after my husband died. He never knew the real me
Lifestyle

I was diagnosed with ADHD after my husband died. He never knew the real me

Telegraph: 'I mourn the conversations we never had. I grieve the support I didn’t have.'

17 Jul 06:00 PM
Premium
Premium
What is a 'cortisol cocktail', and can it really help relieve stress?
Lifestyle

What is a 'cortisol cocktail', and can it really help relieve stress?

17 Jul 06:00 AM
'Comparable to therapy': Rich-lister Anna Mowbray quits social media
Lifestyle

'Comparable to therapy': Rich-lister Anna Mowbray quits social media

17 Jul 05:00 AM


Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper
Sponsored

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

01 Jul 04:58 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP