A Romanian Gypsy wife has become the world’s youngest grandmother at the age of just 23.

Rifca Stanescu gave birth to Maria at the tender age of 12. She urged her daughter not to follow her example, but two years ago, aged just 11, Maria gave birth to a son. 

“I am happy to be a grandmother but I wished something else for Maria – and something else for me,” Rifca said. The Sun reports that Rifca also tried to persuade her daughter to stay at school – but Maria left at ten-years-old to marry – and had her baby boy, Ion, just six months later. Rifca commented, “I did not try to stop my daughter getting married because this is the tradition, it’s what happens.” 

The youngest UK gran was an unnamed 26-year-old from Rotherham. Her daughter, 12, gave birth in 1999.