Meghan Markle’s estranged father reportedly dating his Filipino nurse

LOS ANGELES – Meghan Markle’s estranged father, Thomas Markle, is reportedly dating his Filipino nurse, whom he met while recovering from his leg amputation surgery in Cebu, Philippines.

“I never expected to find joy and happiness again at my age,” Markle told the Daily Mail in an interview published Saturday. “I felt neglected and sad for so many years but now I am enjoying life again.”

Markle, 81, said he’s “blessed and beyond happy” to be with his girlfriend, 46-year-old nurse Rio Canedo.

“After so many tough times I feel truly blessed to have found someone very special who takes such good care of me,” said the retired Hollywood lighting director, who moved to Cebu with his son Thomas Jr. after leaving his coastal bungalow in Rosarito, Mexico, in May last year.

“I know some people will say hurtful things but I don’t care,” Thomas said as he acknowledged their age gap.

‘Never too old’ to find love

“I want to talk about this because I never thought I would ever be happy again. I want people to know you’re never too old to find peace and love.

“There’s a lot of negative things going on in the world and if my story can give a little hope to one person then I’m happy,” he added. “But, to be honest, I don’t give a damn. Life is for living. There’s nothing more important in life than love.”

Markle has struggled with medical issues since he suffered a stroke just before Meghan’s wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.

‘Where the people are kind’

“After my stroke things were not great. I wanted to go to the other side of the world to a place where the people are kind,” Thomas told the Daily Mail.

“The Philippines have a gentler way of life. I never expected to meet Rio and have my life changed in such a wonderful way.”

Markle revealed that he is struggling with pneumonia and that Canedo has encouraged him to drink more water.

“I’ve got pneumonia but I’m not feeling sorry for myself because I have Rio taking such good care of me,” he said.

Markle also said that he has moved past his issues with his daughter Meghan.

“I hardly watch the news. I live in a world where people are kind to each other. The nurses and doctors here in the Philippines are wonderful. People here don’t have all the worldly goods we have in the West but they respect and care for older people,” he said.

‘Life is good’

“I was sad about Meghan for so long but now I finally feel like I can laugh again. Life is good.”

Markle was based in Los Angeles when he built his Hollywood career from the 1970s to 2000s, primarily as a lighting director and director of photography.

He is best known for his work on “Married with Children” as lighting director. He won multiple Emmy Awards for lighting direction on “General Hospital.”

Meghan Markle lives in Montecito, Calif., with her husband Prince Harry and their two children.

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