Australian Leah Menzies, 18, went viral on TikTok after posting a video saying she found the photo of her mother, who died 11 years ago, in her boyfriend Thomas McLeodd’s childhood album. The video has been viewed over 43 million times.
In an interview with NBC’s Today show, Leah says she discovered the photo when she met her new boyfriend’s family.
“His mom was showing me that he made a silly face in every school picture. She thought it was funny,” she said.
The boyfriend, who knew which photo the mother was referring to, went to get it from the shelf.
“He opens this album and all of a sudden he’s like, ‘Oh my God. Oh my God — over and over again,” recalled Menzies. “I didn’t know why he was being so dramatic.”
McLeodd recognized Leah’s mother’s face in the preschool image. According to the report, Leah burst into tears when she saw the photo.
The mother died by liver failure when she was 7 years old.
“It’s amazing that she knew him,” Menzies said. “She was with my future boyfriend and had no idea.”
McLeodd had no memories of the teacher, but recognized the face because Leah keeps pictures of her mother. Leah’s mother-in-law said the teacher was “very kind”.