A 45-year-old man who cannot smile because of a rare condition called Moebius syndrome has fallen in love with a 38-year-old woman who also suffers the same disease, and they are now engaged.

Reports say Erin Smith and Alex Barker met on a social media platform for persons with the disease and became friends. Having dated for some time, they then decided to move their friendship to a different level.

The disease is such that sufferers cannot make any facial expressions, so Erin and Alex have to be tactful about communicating with each other, as their speech is also affected.

Metro UK quoted Ms Smith, from North Carolina as saying: “At first, I would never have thought that I would ever fall in love with someone that was born with the same thing I was.

“But I mean it’s not just the Moebius, we have a lot of other things in common too. It is so nice to have someone that understands me for me. I love his British accent. It makes me melt. It does. It just gives me chills.”

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It might be unimaginable how the couple manage to communicate and understand each other, but Mr Barker, from Coventry said: “I can tell when Erin is happy because she always puts her head on one side and goes “ooh,” and I think although we can’t show facial expression, we know each other’s mannerisms, so when we’re upset or when we’re frustrated or whatever, there is a lot of nonverbal communication that goes on.

“I think the eyes tell a lot too. Not just Alex, but my family and friends have always said that they can look in my eyes and I smile with my eyes, they know I am happy.”

Communication is an essential tool when it comes to relationships, so once Erin and Alex are able to understand each other their union could be an awesome one despite their condition.