Ben Ford and his mum, Kim West said they fell in love (Image: The New Day)
A married man who was adopted at birth left his family and ultimately the whole country reeling after he chose to leave his wife and pursue a sexual relationship with his biological mother.
Kim West, now in her 50s, gave birth to her son Ben Ford when she was a 19-year-old student studying in California. Unable to care for him, she placed the baby up for adoption a week later before returning to the UK.
More than three decades passed with no contact between them. Then, in 2013, Ben, who was married and living in Colorado, resolved to track down his biological parents, successfully finding Kim and sending her a letter.
What started as an exchange of letters and phone calls quickly spiralled, and by 2014 the pair arranged to meet in person — an encounter that would change everything.
Kim and Ben crossed a boundary that most would consider unthinkable, becoming sexually involved almost immediately after their reunion, reports the Daily Star.
The couple hadn’t seen each other since Ben was a baby (Image: The New Day)
Ben later admitted that their encounters were so “mind-blowing” that he found himself telling his then-wife, Victoria, that he could no longer be intimate with her unless he imagined she was his mother.
Kim stated: “(Victoria) was welcoming, yet I couldn’t warm to her. I felt a growing sense of competition and when Ben touched her I felt jealous.
“I became even more aware of the fact that she thought I was spending too much time with Ben. She would constantly call him when we were together.
“Eventually, he admitted she was giving him grief about spending time with me. ‘She calls you mummy girlfriend’ he said.”
Ben Ford cuddles mum Kim West (Image: The New Day)
Within days of the affair beginning, Ben confessed everything. Shortly thereafter, he walked away from his marriage and moved to Michigan to be with Kim.
Their relationship ignited outrage when it became public knowledge, particularly given that consensual incest between adults constitutes a serious criminal offence under Michigan law.
Had charges been brought, the couple could have faced sentences of up to 15 years in prison and lifetime registration as sex offenders.
As public scrutiny mounted, Kim and Ben chose to retreat from the spotlight.
Despite the fierce backlash, the pair insisted their relationship did not technically constitute incest. They claimed it was an example of so-called “Genetic Sexual Attraction”, a controversial theory suggesting that relatives who meet for the first time in adulthood may develop sexual feelings due to the absence of childhood bonding.
Kim flatly rejected the incest label, insisting they were “meant to be together”. Ben maintained he had never regarded her as a mother, only as a sexual partner.
The explanation has been roundly condemned by experts, yet the couple remained unrepentant, even declaring their wish to marry and have children together.
