Amanda and Vicki say they don’t notice their age gap (Picture: Supplied)
Welcome to Soul Mates, Metro.co.uk’s weekly friendship series, where friends share the stories of how they met.
For some of us, friendship comes to us early in life, when we’re sat together at school or enrolled in the same course at university.
That was the case for Amanda Frolich – who met two of her best friends when she was just 12-years-old.
So, when the 53 year old mum-of-one walked into a women’s networking event, the last thing she expected was to make a life-long friend – especially one that was 20 years younger than her.
Amanda, an entrepreneur, explains: ‘I always say these business events are a bit like shopping in TK Maxx. You either find something or you don’t. I certainly wasn’t expecting to meet Vicki.’
On paper, Vicki Bahra and Amanda couldn’t be more different.
Vicki and Amanda sneaked into a hotel together at midnight (Picture: Supplied)
‘I’ve been with my husband since I was 19,’ explains Amanda. ‘I have a daughter, Bibi, who is 18, and I’m a bit of a tomboy – I spend my days working in a tracksuit. I didn’t go to university, and I pretty much despise reading.
‘Vicki, on the other hand, is 30, single and child free. She’s so elegant and intellectual. She has this perfect skin – which is one of the first things I noticed about her.’
The pair were seated next to each other at the networking event, in January this year.
Vicki says: ‘Everyone was very corporate, but I could tell straight away that Amanda was relaxed. She seemed really friendly and I just gravitated towards her.’
‘Naturally, we got talking about our businesses,’ adds Amanda, who is a children’s entertainer and founder of Amanda’s Action Club, a physical development company which teaches children and their parents how to be active.
‘Vicki was still developing her coaching company and I wanted to take her under my wing,’ explains Amanda. ‘I wanted her to learn from some of the mistakes I’d made over the years.’
Vicki, founder of Vicki Bahra Lifestyle Coaching, also offered Amanda some coaching and the pair soon realised they had more in common than they thought.
Vicki says: ‘Amanda is really wise, and gave me some great advice, but like me, she doesn’t take her self too seriously.’
Amanda adds: ‘We’re both go-getters and just like to get things done. I’ve never met someone as young as Vicki who is so determined.’
And, the friendship soon moved on from business lunches.
‘We soon started speaking to each other on the phone every day and going for meals,’ says Vicki.
‘We’re both big foodies and we love getting dressed up,’ adds Amanda.
‘We started swapping fashion advice – calling each other when we weren’t sure what to wear! My daughter always says I dress young, so the age gap honestly didn’t even occur to me.’
Vicki helped Amanda pick out her daughter’s prom dress (Picture: Supplied)
The 23 year difference between the friends means they can offer each other unique advice. ‘Vicki is very hot on the latest skincare, so she’s given me a whole new regime. I’ve also learnt a lot about the world of online dating from her – she shows me pictures of matches on Hinge and I vet her dates! There’s a few I’ve suggested she steer clear of…’
And, despite Amanda being the older of the two, she’s the one encouraging mischief. Amanda says: ‘We went to a business event which finished at about 11.30pm, but I wasn’t ready to go home.
‘There was a hotel nearby I’ve always wanted to have a look inside of, so I went up to the security guard and asked if he’d show us around.
‘He sneaked us in and we had a mid-night tour around all the grand rooms and suites! I think Vicki likes that I’m always ready to have some fun!’
Now, Amanda says that Vicki is becoming part of the family. ‘Sometimes, I see her as another child – and my daughter Bibi sees her as her big sister.’
And Vicki agrees, ‘It’s sort of an ‘older sister’ type vibe.
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‘It was Bibi’s prom in the summer, and Vicki called me to ask if I could help find a dress. The three of us all went shopping together – it was a lovely day.’
Despite only having met this year, the pair say they will be ‘friends for life.’
She says: ‘I’m looking forward to making lots of happy memories together – wandering around Portobello Market and hopefully squeezing in a holiday too.
‘When I was younger, I used to think that 53 was so old, but I’m young at heart, and Vicki is a wise head on young shoulders – we’re a perfect match!’
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‘When I was younger, I used to think that 53 was so old, but I’m young at heart.’