But Gayton insisted the couple are in love and the relationship is genuine

A Facebook friend has suggested that Kahlil is 'not in love' while another said he was keen to 'to take UK citizenship'

He then sneaked into Britain in the back of a lorry and was given leave to remain for five years

Hamoude Kahlil, 24, proposed to Sarah Gayton, 41, months after they met in the Calais 'Jungle'

Their Calais Jungle romance has captured the public imagination - one a Syrian refugee and the other a British aid worker 17 years his senior.

But now friends of the 24-year-old Romeo in this love story, Hamoude Kahlil, have raised suspicions that his intentions towards Sarah Gayton may be less than straightforward.

A Facebook friend who has known Kahlil since they studied together in Syria told MailOnline that he loved Sarah but added: 'I understand he is doing this to take citizenship.'

Another former classmate and friend who is now living in Germany, said: 'I don't think it's love.'

Sarah Gayton and Hamoude Kahlil got engaged a few months after meeting in the Calais refugee camp, in France

When approached near the Chiswick home of his fiancee Sarah Gayton, Hamoude Kahlil said he did not want to discuss the relationship and was late for work

Miss Gayton, who quit her job in West London to return to the camp, said she was never looking for love but is happy

The couple's whirlwind romance was played out in the Calais Jungle camp, where management consultant Sarah was volunteering to hand out aid.

Just five days after meeting the law student who fled the besieged city of Aleppo, Ms Gayton resigned from her fulltime job and returned to the squalid camp where she worked alongside the refugee.

Within a few months, the management consultant accepted Mr Khalil's marriage proposal and returned to her £800,000 home in Chiswick, west London, to start planning the wedding.

Her Syrian fiance, who is in his twenties, sneaked into Britain illegally on a lorry and has since been given leave to remain for five years.

When told how he crossed the Channel in a lorry, his family members were shocked. His cousin, Najib Mohamad, spoke to MailOnline.

'It's a crazy thing,' a friend, Farhad Hannan, added. 'When all the European countries opened their doors to all the people, of course you will hear a lot of this sort of thing.

'When you have a dream you do it, whatever it costs you.'

Kahlil, who abandoned his university law course to make the perilous journey across Europe in 2014, used to help out in his father's mechanic business and had not had any previous relationships, his family said.

In London: Mr Kahlil came to Britain illegally in the back of a lorry despite his promise to his fiancée that he wouldn't

Gayton, from Chiswick, in west London, quit her job five days after meeting him in 2015 while she was volunteering in the camp. Kahlil proposed to her within a few months of their first encounter.

'My friend wants to marry these British and gets citizenship at the same time,' one friend claimed to MailOnline, on messages sent via Facebook.

The couple, who insist they are genuine, worked in a warehouse run by the charities Help Refugees and L'Auberge des Migrants. Kahlil was a translator in the Jungle.

Speaking to The Sunday Times, Miss Gayton said she 'was definitely not looking for love', and disputed claims that British women were volunteering at the camp to have sex with migrants.

She told the paper: 'You can always look at someone else's life and make assumptions but that's pretty sad. I know that I met a kind, caring, wonderful man a year ago and I'm happy.'

Hannan, one of Kahlil's old friends, told MailOnline: 'Of course she is in love with Hamoude, not just citizenship.' He raised questions over whether her fiancé was in it for love, however.

Visiting Cornwall: He has been given leave to remain for five years and the couple are planning their wedding

Friends and family were supportive of their engagement when it was shared on Facebook

Illegal entry by a lorry: Miss Gayton admitted she knows some people will be sceptical about their relationship, but those who saw them together 'knew it was real'

Gayton said she knows some people will be sceptical about their relationship, but those who saw them together 'knew it was real'.

She added: ' We are two people that fell in love and remain that way.'

Another friend said: 'When he was in the war in Syria, he dreamed to fly from [to] Britain.'

When approached by MailOnline, Ms Gayton said she did not want to comment and Mr Kahlil said: 'No comment. I'm going to be late, I have a job.'

On Friday, MailOnline reported a whistleblower's claims that Calais aid workers were having sex with migrants.

The revelations caused a furious row, with some volunteers claiming the allegations should have remained secret and criticising the whistleblower for expressing his concerns.

According to the whistleblower, some volunteers use the services of the Jungle prostitutes while others have multiple partners in one day.

Other aid workers have complained that unscrupulous volunteers are treating the camp like a 'free for all festival' and 'find it difficult to keep it in their pants'.

The original allegations were aired on a Facebook thread concerning the People to People Solidarity group, which has since been deleted.

Miss Gayton disputed claims circulating from a male volunteer on Facebook last week that British women were volunteering at the camp to have sex with migrants