A 17-year-old “princess” beauty queen who married a now 66-year-old politician has sent a message to their “haters” on Instagram.

Hissam Hussein Dehaini, 66, the former Mayor of Araucaria (a municipality in the Brazilian state of Paraná), wed his teen bride Kauane Rode a year ago this week (when she was 16).

The high school student participated in the Miss Araucária contest in 2022, in the teen category (for girls aged 15 to 17) and came second, but she really shot to fame when she tied the knot with the politician.

READ MORE: ‘Hardest Geezer’ becomes first man to run entire length of Africa – raising £690k

Click here for the latest news and updates from across the world from the Daily Star.

The couple commanded countless headlines and also faced a torrent of abuse over the last year for their unconventional, but not illegal, relationship.

This led the teen bride to take to Instagram on their first anniversary and share a screenshot of the Google results of her and her husband’s names. Overlaid on the flurry of article results, she asked cryptically: “A year of wanting to know: Fans or haters?”

The matrimony caused a backlash, not least because Dehaini was said to have promoted his bride’s mother to a top job a day after the wedding according to reports.

Kauane’s mother Marilene Rode was made Secretary of Culture of Araucária. She had been a general secretary beforehand, reports stated.

Marilene’s sister, Elizângela Rode, is also a commissioner at City Hall. According to the Brazilian Civil Code, “man and woman aged 16 can marry, requiring authorization from both parents, or their legal representatives, until they reach the age of civil majority”.

According to the organization Girls not Brides, more than 2.2million minors are married in Brazil. Hora Brasilia reported at the time “the union of Kauane and Hissam has been seen as an example of true love and overcoming prejudices”.

For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.