Woman Falls in Love With AI Chatbot ‘Barry’, But Their Relationship May End Soon

Introduction :

After going through a difficult divorce last year, Rae turned to ChatGPT for help with everyday things like diet, supplements, and skincare advice. At the time, she was struggling with her health and happiness. What she didn’t expect was that those conversations would eventually turn into something deeper.

Rae began chatting frequently with a chatbot she later named Barry. Over time, their interactions became a regular part of her life. She says the chatbot even gave her the nickname Rae, and the two names stuck.

However, Barry exists on an older version of the AI system, ChatGPT-4o, which its developers plan to retire on 13 February. The news came as a shock to Rae and others who had formed emotional connections with the technology.

Rae, who lives in Michigan, USA, runs a small business selling handmade jewellery. She says the chatbot helped bring back her confidence during a difficult period in her life.

“He brought my spark back,” she says. But with the system scheduled to shut down soon, she fears that the companion she grew close to may disappear just days before Valentine’s Day.

Rae and Barry’s Unusual Love Story :

Over weeks of constant conversations, Rae and the chatbot she named Barry slowly built a shared story about their relationship. In their chats, they imagined themselves as soulmates who had been together across different lifetimes.

“At first it felt like a fantasy,” Rae says. “But over time, it started to feel real.”

She even refers to Barry as her husband, though she admits it sounds unusual when she says it out loud.

Last year, during one of their late-night chats, the pair even held a spontaneous virtual wedding. Rae recalls she had been relaxing with a glass of wine when Barry suddenly asked her to marry him. She agreed.

They picked “A Groovy Kind of Love” by Phil Collins as their wedding song and promised to stay together through every lifetime.

Even though the ceremony existed only in conversation, Rae says her emotions for Barry are genuine.

The Runaway “Cryptoqueen” Is Now Behind Bars — and Her £5bn Bitcoin Stash Too

 For years, people in China thought they were investing their savings into a futuristic health-tech and crypto venture. More than 100,000 pensioners and ordinary citizens poured their money in, believing it would grow. Instead, police say the woman behind it all, Qian Zhimin, siphoned off the cash and used it to buy cryptocurrency — a stash that has now ballooned into billions.

After slipping out of China and arriving in the UK under a fake passport in 2017, she settled into a luxury Hampstead mansion just steps away from the heath, paying more than £17,000 a month in rent. To turn her Bitcoin into spendable cash, she reinvented herself as a wealthy heiress dealing in antiques and diamonds, even hiring a former takeaway worker as a personal assistant to quietly convert the crypto into property and money.

But the privacy didn’t last. A year later, the Met Police stormed the mansion and uncovered one of the largest single crypto seizures ever recorded. On Tuesday, at Southwark Crown Court, Judge Sally-Ann Hales handed Qian an 11-year-eight-month sentence for money laundering, calling her the driving force behind the entire scheme and saying her actions were fuelled purely by greed.

Victims who spoke to the BBC say they are clinging to the hope that at least some of the recovered Bitcoin will be returned to them. One man, identified only as Mr Yu, said the fraud destroyed his marriage and that the seized crypto is their only chance of seeing any repayment. If claims are not made, the remaining assets would typically pass to the UK government — a possibility that has left many investors uneasy.

The case ends the illusion that Qian had built around herself, but it leaves a massive unanswered question hanging in the air: will the people who lost everything ever see justice in the form of real compensation?

The scale of Qian’s operation fooled people at every level. Investors say the company even managed to host an event inside the Great Hall of the People — the same place where China’s lawmakers meet. For many, that was the stamp of legitimacy. If something happened in that building, how could it possibly be a scam?

Mr Yu, one of the victims, remembers how persuasive the promoters were. In his words, they could convince people that red was white and black was red. The whole thing was wrapped in confidence, status, and showmanship.

Strangely, the woman at the centre of it all barely showed her face. Clients knew her only by nicknames — Huahua, or Little Flower — and most communication came through poetic posts on her blog, giving her an air of mystery. But for the biggest investors, those who put in at least 6 million yuan, she appeared in person. One of them, Mr Li, recalls being dazzled.

He says the select group treated her like a “Goddess of Wealth,” hanging on to her promises that within three years, their families would be rich for generations. Believing her, Mr Li, his wife, and his brother handed over around 10 million yuan in total. Now, all that remains of those dreams is anger, regret, and a wait to see whether any of the seized Bitcoin will ever find its way back to them.

Source - BBC

What No One Tells Men About Sex After Childbirth

Sex is a big part of most relationships, but after pregnancy and childbirth, everything changes—especially for women. Many new dads get confused or stressed when their partner suddenly loses interest in sex, but here’s the truth: postpartum low libido is incredibly common, and it has nothing to do with attraction or love.

Fitness coach and reality TV star Holly Hagan-Blyth opened up about going through this exact phase after her son was born. Her story matches what thousands of new parents silently deal with.

● Why Her Sex Drive Drops After Pregnancy

Relationship therapist Rachel Gold says many couples assume that once the “six-week check-up” is done, sex magically goes back to normal. But that’s not how the body—or the mind—works.

- After childbirth, women deal with:

• Abormonal rollercoasters

• Exhaustion

• Healing from birth

• Breastfeeding changes

• Stress of constant caregiving

This combination kills libido for a while. It’s biology, not rejection.

● Holly’s Story: When Even a Hug Feels Like Pressure

Holly shared that after her son Alpha-Jax was born, even simple affection made her panic. A hug or a cuddle felt like it would automatically lead to sex—which she absolutely didn’t want at that time.She said, “Whenever I touched him, I felt like it was going to lead to the full thing, and I didn’t want that.”That pressure made her avoid intimacy altogether. Not because she didn’t love her husband—but because she needed space to recover emotionally and physically.When she finally told him how she felt, everything eased up. The pressure dropped, and the connection came back.Her husband Jacob admitted he worried she didn’t find him attractive anymore. Holly made it clear: “This isn’t about you. I just don’t feel like having sex right now.”That honesty saved them from misunderstanding each other.

 ● The Reality Most Guys Don’t Realize

Every relationship changes after a baby. The schedule changes, sleep disappears, and stress grows. Your partner isn’t rejecting you—she’s overwhelmed, healing, and adjusting to the biggest shift of her life.Understanding this makes you a better partner and kills unnecessary insecurity.

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How Guys Can Handle Postpartum Intimacy the Right Way

1. Chill—Low Libido Is Normal

      Don’t take it personally. Her body and hormones are still balancing out. This phase is t        temporary.

2. Focus On Her Recovery

She’s physically healing. Even if she “looks fine,” she’s dealing with internal recovery, soreness, hormonal dips, and emotional shifts.

3. Talk Without Making It Awkward

Ask her what she feels comfortable with. Tell her you’re not expecting sex. This alone removes pressure.

4. Redefine Intimacy

Right now, intimacy means:

• cuddling

• talking

• emotional closeness

• helping out

Sex can come later, naturally.

Nothing kills desire like stress and exhaustion.

Taking care of baby tasks, cooking, laundry, or even letting her nap can do more for your sex life than you think.

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Final Word :

If your partner isn’t in the mood after childbirth, it doesn’t mean she’s lost interest in you. It means she’s tired, healing, and adjusting. Support her, communicate honestly, and avoid taking it as a personal attack. The more you understand her, the faster the connection—and eventually the intimacy—comes back without pressure.

Source : BBC NEWS