My boyfriend is the same age as my mum – people call me ‘gold digger’ but younger men are too insecure
MOST young women would baulk at the idea of being in a relationship with someone old enough to be their dad.
But not Brooke McNelis, who is engaged to a man 22 years her senior and the same as her mum.
The 33-year-old claims she is branded a "gold digger" for her relationship with Patrick Daly, 54.
In fact, Brooke has never been happier.
The couple, who have been together for five years and share a 22-year age gap, met through a member of Patrick’s family.
His step-niece was friends with Brooke when they were at university together.
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She had never considered dating a man with such an age gap, but her mum would joke and tell her she needed an older man.
Brooke’s family have all been very supportive of her relationship with Patrick, who works as a chief financial officer.
“Funnily enough, my mum always said I needed an older man,” California-based Brooke, who works in medical sales, says.
“When I brought Pat home she said, 'I didn’t mean the same age as me!'
"When I dated men my age, they were always very insecure.
";I needed an older man that let me be my complete self."
Brooke admits that their families were probably "sceptical of it working out" but assures she has their full support.
She has struck up a strong bond with Patrick's 18-year-old daughter, too.
“Now, his daughter and I have a great relationship," she adds.
“Kids are a maybe for us, as he already has a daughter."
A-list age gap relationships that have stood the test of time
- Kris Jenner & Corey Gamble - 25 years
The Kardashian matriarch met her younger man at a mutual friend's 40th birthday party in Ibiza. They've been together since August 2014. - Sam & Aaron Taylor-Johnson - 23 years
The director and actor reportedly met at a film audition in 2009, and were married by 2012. The pair share two daughters and Sam has two children from a previous marriage. - Rosie-Huntington-Whiteley & Jason Statham - 20 years
The model started dating actor Jason in 2010. They were wed in 2016 and have since welcomed a son and a daughter together. - Catherine Zeta-Jones & Michael Douglas - 25 years
The pair was introduced at a film festival in 1996 and engaged three years later. Shortly after their engagement, the couple welcomed a son and married in 2000.
Brooke shares insights into their unconventional relationship on social media - but it isn't always met with warmth.
She says: “A lot of the online comments are saying I’m a gold digger, in it for the money – the list goes on.
“But I have a full-blown career and know the truth so the outside noise doesn’t bother me.
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“We get a lot of looks or comments while out to dinner, but I laugh them off.
“One woman came up to Pat and me, and asked how he holds a conversation with someone so young like me.”