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Sarah Biren
Sarah Biren
February 26, 2024 ·  4 min read

Actress Defies All Odds And Marries The Homeless Man Who Conquered Her Heart

Emmy Abrahamson was a famous Swedish actress; she spoke five languages and graduated from acting school in London, England. Meanwhile, Vic Kocula was a homeless alcoholic. That didn’t stop the two from falling in love. Their relationship became headlines as Emmy explained, “I fell in love with a man who lived in a bush. A man with no income, or career prospects — or shoes.” [1]

Their Accidental First Date

Kocula grew up in Toronto, Canada, with his mother working as a cleaner and his father as a bricklayer. He went traveling through Europe but ran out of money. So he started living on the streets and taking the occasional job. During this time, he fell into the rabbit hole of drugs and alcohol. He would carry around his sleeping bag and a briefcase filled with cans of beer. “The wheels fell off and the alcoholism kicked in heavy,” he said. “It was such a gradual turn that suddenly one day I realized, ‘Oh my god, I’m a homeless alcoholic’.”

But one day, Abrahamson sat in a park in Amsterdam, waiting for a meeting with a film director. That was how she met Kocula. “There was this beautiful woman sitting there by herself and she looked super-content, with a smile on her face,” said Kocula. “I just had to go and talk to her.”

Image Credit: ITV | YouTube

His ragged appearance was undeniable. “When you’re homeless, your feet get minging. You’re not washing your socks and you sleep in a park with wet shoes constantly on your feet.” Still, he sat next to Abrahamson and asked for a couple minutes of her time. She noticed his “beautiful brown eyes” and although they spoke for only ten minutes, she found herself laughing out loud several times. He asked to meet again six days later on the same bench and she agreed.

At this time, Abrahamson had just ended a four-year relationship. “On the one hand, I was put off by his disheveled appearance. But there was something about him that was so intriguing that I wanted to meet him again.”

Read: 4 Years Ago, He Was Homeless–Today, He Bought His First House

Their Unlikely Marriage

During those six days, Kocula sold drugs to buy foot cream to try to reduce the smell. When the time of the meeting came, he came 20 minutes late riding a child’s bike. Abrahamson was not deterred. She has since written a novel based on their love story. But about this moment, she said, “I was really trying to fight it but I was very attracted to him.”

They spent the next six hours walking around Amsterdam. They had a picnic and their first kiss. “During our time together I realized Vic was simply the funniest, happiest, and most optimistic person I had ever met,” she said. “He had a lust for life that was mesmerizing and contagious.”

The couple had three more dates before Abrahamson had to return home to Vienna, Austria. They didn’t think they would meet again; she gave him her number but he didn’t have a phone. Three weeks later, while Abrahamson celebrated her 30th birthday, Kocula spent a couple of days in jail for stealing a chicken. But at least he got access to a phone to call her.

Kocula began to make money doing odd jobs, saving up for a train ticket to Austria. Finally, he appeared in Vienna and met Abrahamson, simply saying, “I’m here.” Two years later, they married at Vienna’s grand Belvedere palace. In 2012, they had twins, Desta and Til. Kocula changed his life, reducing his alcohol intake and going to university for five years with Abrahamson’s support. He also learned Swedish and became a mechanical engineer. Since then, Abrahamson ended her acting career and became a successful young-adult author. They live in Abrahamson’s old family home in Sweden.

Read: Homeless Man: ‘What Can I Get for $0.50?’–Boy’s Answer Is Wise Beyond His Years

Facing Opposition to Their Love

Despite the happy ending, not everyone accepted Abrahamson and Kocula’s relationship. Even some of Abrahamson’s closest friends. “I lost two of my oldest friends because they couldn’t accept him. It pains me to this day.” 

Her parents didn’t even know Kocula was homeless until they read Abrahamson’s book, which was published in 2018. Still, they distrusted Kocula at first. “My dad thought he was going to kill me. Mom thought he’d steal my TV,” said Abrahamson. But after meeting Kocula, her parents approved of him.

Meanwhile, Desta and Til found their parent’s love story hilarious. “I don’t think they grasp the social aspects of it. They just think it’s funny I lived in a bush,” said Kocula. He explained how lucky he was to meet Abrahamson and that she gave him a chance. He didn’t know what state he would be in had they not met. “I don’t know if  I would’ve got to the point where I couldn’t get out. Shame and guilt come into play. I know people who lost years and couldn’t go home.”

Meanwhile, Abrahamson saw herself as the lucky one to have met Kocula. She compared their meeting to winning the lottery. “Some people see me as having ‘saved’ Vic but I think it’s the other way round. He showed me you don’t need much to be content. And he makes me laugh every day.” [2]

Keep Reading: 8-year-old living in homeless shelter won New York chess championship: ‘I want to be the youngest grandmaster’

Sources

  1. Dabrina Barr. “Woman and Homeless Man Who Fell in Love Now Married With Twins.” Independent. January 31, 2018
  2. Kate Jackson. “Who is Emmy Abrahamson? Swedish actress who fell in love with drug-dealing homeless drunk Vic Kocula.” The Sun. February 20, 2018