Meghan Markle’s Dad Thomas, 81, Is Dating His Nurse, 46, After Leg Amputation: ‘Enjoying Life Again’

Meghan Markle‘s estranged father, Thomas Markle, has a new romance.

In an interview with the Daily Mail published Saturday, March 28, Thomas, 81, revealed he is dating Rio Canedo, a 46-year-old nurse he met in December, after he entered rehab in Cebu, Philippines, following the amputation of his lower left leg earlier that month.

“I never expected to find joy and happiness again at my age. I felt neglected and sad for so many years but now I am enjoying life again,” Thomas gushed. “After so many tough times I feel truly blessed to have found someone very special who takes such good care of me.”

Thomas — who moved to the Philippines with his son Thomas Jr. in January 2025 — explained that “things were not great” after his 2022 stroke, so he “wanted to go to the other side of the world to a place where the people are kind.”

“I never expected to meet Rio and have my life changed in such a wonderful way,” he added.

The pair seemingly moved quickly, as Thomas told the outlet, Canedo “ended up moving in with me.”

As far as tying the knot goes, Thomas explained, “I would marry Rio if it was beneficial to her. But it’s not something we’ve discussed.”

Meanwhile, Canedo claimed she “didn’t know who Thomas was when she met him, explaining, “Here in the Philippines, Meghan and Harry are not a big deal.”

“I met him on the first day he came here, last December 16, as he was being taking [sic] off the ambulance from the hospital,” she recalled. “He waved at me.”

“I was a bit worried because someone had told me he had a reputation for being grumpy,” she further confessed. “But I started working with him and he is a total gentleman and someone who is kind and funny.”

Thomas, of course, has been estranged from Meghan, 44, since her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, when he was caught staging paparazzi photos shortly before her ceremony.

“I was sad about Meghan for so long but now I finally feel like I can laugh again. Life is good,” he told the Daily Mail.

As Star previously reported, Thomas told the publication in early December that he hadn’t heard from Meghan since he fell ill, despite reports that she had sent him a letter.

However, on Wednesday, December 10, a representative for the With Love, Meghan star told People, “With the support of reliable and trusted contacts, her correspondence is now safely in his hands.”