A man has left his ex-girlfriend stunned by revealing he paid off the mortgage on her home as a surprise 31st birthday present.
Shaun Nyland and Cat Keenan had been together for seven years and shared a semi-detached four-bedroom town house in Llanwern, Wales, with Tommy, Cat’s son from a previous relationship, and their son Leo.
The pair built up a huge social media following by posting “silly comedy videos” of their family life, and they were able to quit their jobs to focus on TikTok full time, Wales Online reports.
However, they say working 24/7 with one another took its toll and they decided to separate earlier this year, with Cat remaining in the family home while Shaun moved back to Gloucester with his parents.
His social media career continued to flourish, but when he noticed his ex-partner wasn’t posting as much and realised she may be struggling to take care of the home and the children, he decided to do something about it.
In a TikTok video, which has now been viewed by 4.6 million people, Shaun returns to the home and throws Cat a set of house keys, leaving her confused.
He says: “Well it’s your birthday today and I want you to have the best birthday ever.
“I know we’re not together anymore and you’ve been struggling obviously paying off the mortgage every single month, and I know it’s been hard but I’m so proud of you, so so proud of you. You’re the best mum ever.
“So I did something. I rang up the bank, I paid off the entire mortgage, this house now belongs to you.”
Cat refuses to believe Shaun until she finds the email confirming what he has done, at which point she throws her arms around him in disbelief.
The pair had previously worked as a dog walker and sales manager at Parcelforce before leaving them behind to make content on TikTok full time, saying they could earn more in one day than they previously had in a month.
But when the relationship fell apart, Shaun noticed Cat wasn’t posting as often and, after coming into a bit of money through TikTok and other projects, decided he wanted to help.
“I wanted to take that pressure off her,” he said. “If I am able to do it, then why not. I wanted to keep a roof over her and Leo’s head and take the pressure off Cat.”
Cat said: “When we were together, there was more work coming in. Going alone was a struggle.”
“It was a huge shock when Shaun did what he did.”
The pair have maintained an amicable relationship, which Shaun says is important for their son Leo.
In a follow up video posted by Cat, Shaun tells her: “You gave me the best gift of all time, you brought Leo into this world.
“I know you’ve been struggling, you’ve been telling me you’re struggling, you’ve been working really hard, and it just makes sense to put a roof over your and Leo’s head.”