What is an acceptable age gap for love? Was Natalie Portman right to brand Moby ‘creepy’ for trying it on when she was 18 and he was 33?
Some people think they know the golden rule for age gap love, we ask whether these celebs have got it right.
EARLIER this week, Natalie Portman rubbished claims that she ever dated Grammy-nominated musician, Moby.
The 37-year-old actress slammed the 53-year-old as being a “creepy older man” after he claimed to have dated her when he was 33.
Speaking in his recently published autobiography, Then It Fell Apart, Moby claimed Natalie turned up at one of his performances and “flirted” with him before asking him out.
But Natalie has slammed the claims, explaining she was a teenager and that Moby was a “creepy older man” who took an inappropriate interest in her.
“I was surprised to hear that he characterised the very short time that I knew him as dating, because my recollection is a much older man being creepy with me when I just had graduated high school,” she told Harper’s Bazaar.
“He said I was 20; I definitely wasn’t. I was a teenager. I had just turned 18… We only hung out a handful of times before I realised that this was an older man who was interested in me in a way that felt inappropriate.”
Natalie’s claims got us thinking about age gap love.
From Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas to Cheryl and Liam – both of whom have an age gap of 10 years – celebs are proving age really is just a number.
Or is it? Dating experts have claimed that when it comes to age gap dating, a golden rule should be followed for a happy and healthy relationship.
Apparently, if you’re looking for a partner a few years your junior, the youngest age you should date is half of your own age, plus seven.
So, for example, someone aged 30 should look for a partner aged 22 or above for a happy union.
But as ever, celebs rarely stick to the guidelines.
From the likes of Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher to Kris Jenner and Corey Gamble, these A-listers are writing their own relationship rules.
Kate Beckinsale and Pete Davidson, 20 years
Rumours that 45-year-old Kate was dating 25-year-old Pete Davidson emerged earlier this year, when the pair were spotted “getting cosy” at a Golden Globes after party.
Fast forward a few weeks and they were pictured locking lips at a New York Rangers game.
The pair are thought to have parted ways in April after Kate was said to have “struggled” with the public attention surrounding their relationship.
Camila Cabello and Matthew Hussey, nine years
The 31-year-old relationship coach and 22-year-old Camila are thought to have started dating in 2018.
With an gap of nine years, they’ve only just broken the golden age gap rule.
“He makes me the happiest I’ve ever been in my life,” Camila told .
Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green, 12 years
Megan and Brian started dating in 2004, after meeting on the set of Hope & Faith.
While Brian was 30, Megan was 18.
The pair married in 2010 and have three sons together: Noah, Bodhi and Journey.
Scott Disick and Sofia Richie, 15 years
35-year-old Scott – who is the father of Kourtney Kardashian’s three children – has been dating 20-year-old Sofia for two years.
Speaking about their relationship last year, Scott said: “Honestly everything’s been going pretty well lately.
“This is the first time I’ve ever been with anyone other than Kourtney, so it’s definitely different. But it’s been a really good thing for me.”
Heidi Klum and Tom Kaulitz, 17 years
Heidi, 45 and Tokio Hotel guitarist Tom Kaulitz, 29 started dating last year and are now engaged.
Speaking about their 17 year age gap to InStyle, at the start of their relationship, Heidi said: “My boyfriend is many years younger than me, and lots of people are questioning that and asking about it.
“That’s really the only time when age seems to be shoved in my faceand I have to give an answer for it. I don’t really think about it that much otherwise.”
Lady Kitty Spencer and Michael Lewis, 32 years
Princess Diana’s niece, Lady Kitty Spencer, confirmed her relationship with fashion tycoon, Michael Lewis, 60, earlier this month after rumours the pair had been dating since last year.
The couple were spotted out and about in New York, as well as leaving The Mark hotel together – the same spot Meghan Markle had her US baby shower just months earlier.
Mary-Kate Olsen and Olivier Sarkozy, 17 years
Mary-Kate Olsen, 32, married French banker Olivier Sarkozy, 49, in 2015 after reportedly dating for two years.
The pair are said to have wed in a “secret” Manhattan ceremony in front of 50 guests.
Speaking about married life with sister Ashley, Mary-Kate told The Edit: “I think we’re lucky [working hard] comes quite naturally for us.
“We don’t need so much time to sit and think and ponder.
“But then I have a husband, two step-kids and a life; I have to go home and cook dinner. I run on the weekend.”
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Jason Statham, 20 years
The pair started dating in 2010 when Jason was 42 and Rosie was 23.
The couple – who got engaged in 2016 – have a son, Jack Oscar, who is almost two years old.
Speaking about her husband-to-be, Rosie told that Jason is “by far the greatest influence in my life.”
Bruce Willis and Emma Heming, 24 years
Bruce Willis and model Emma Heming have an age gap of 24 years.
The pair married 10 years ago when Bruce was 54 and Emma was 30.
Bruce – who said he fell in love after just one date – now has two daughters with Emma: Mabel Ray and Evelyn Penn.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Camila Morrone, 23 years
44-year-old Leonardo has reportedly been dating 21-year-old model Camila for the past two years, after the pair met at an event in Florida.
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, 25 years
Michael and Catherine met in 1998 and married two years later, in November 2000 when she was 30 and Michael was 55.
They share the same birthday – September 25 – 25 years apart and also have two children: Carys and Dylan.
Emilie Livingston and Jeff Goldblum, 30 years
Emilie, 36 and Jeff, 66 married in 2014 after several years of dating and now have two sons: Charlie and River.
Speaking about their relationship, Emilie said: “I wondered if this feeling could be true because I hadn’t experienced such innocent, passionate, tender, honest love before so quickly.
“We were just honest and aware from day one and took our relationship day by day until I had to express my feelings of wanting a family with him and to share the rest of my life with his beautiful soul!”
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, 15 years
Demi and Ashton met in 2003 when she was 41 and he was 26.
After two years of dating, the pair tied the knot in 2005, but divorced seven years later citing “irreconcilable differences”.
At the time, Demi said: “It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I have decided to end my six-year marriage to Ashton.
“As a woman, a mother and a wife, there are certain values and vows that I hold sacred, and it is in this spirit that I have chosen to move forward with my life.”
Meanwhile, Ashton said: “Right after I got divorced, I went to the mountains for a week by myself.
“I took all my computers away, my phone, my everything. I was there by myself, so there was no talking. I just had a notepad, a pen and water and tea – for a week.”
Ashton is now married to actress Mila Kunis.
Madonna and Timor Steffens, 29 years
Madonna, 60 and Timor, 31 dated in 2014 before breaking up after around eight months.
At the time, Timor told : “There is an age gap between me and Madonna but I don’t notice it.
“My girlfriends have always been older than me and that’s how I like it. I learn a lot.
“Mum is a big inspiration. She is a fighter, a strong independent woman, and any relationship I’ve had in the past was mostly with women that are independent and like to have an opinion.”
J Lo and Casper Smart, 17 years
She might be engaged to Alex Rodriguez now, but once up on a time, 49-year-old J Lo was dating Casper Smart, 32.
The relationship started in 2011, when J Lo was 41 and Casper – one of her dancers – was 23.
Following the break down of their one-year relationship, Casper told journalist Maity Interiano: “It started out as flirting, then became more than flirting. There was a connection.
“Neither of us thought it would be more than a fun time and suddenly we were spending time together, we enjoyed each other’s company, there was chemistry.
“I was very young, I was 23 or 24, she was 18 years older, so she was about 42 years old with two kids. But in the moment, everything just clicked. We spent every day together for a year.”
Kris Jenner and Corey Gamble, 29 years
Kris and Corey have been dating since 2014 after reportedly meeting at a party hosted by son-in-law Kanye West.
38-year-old Corey is now a regular on Keeping Up With The Kardashians and although the pair were rumoured to be getting married, Kris, 63, told Ellen DeGeneres: “I’ve done that twice and it didn’t work out so well, so I don’t know.
“As long as things are going well, why ruffle it up?”
Kourtney Kardashian and Younes Bendjima, 14 years
The pair were thought to have met during Paris Fashion Week in 2017 and were together for around 18 months.
While they seemed mega loved up last summer, holidaying in Italy for weeks, in July, the pair seemed to hit a rough patch, when Younes commented on one of Kourtney’s bikini snaps: “That’s what you need to show to get likes?”
A month later when the 25-year-old was pictured looking cosy with model Jordan Ozuna in Mexico, it was revealed he and the eldest Kardashian, 40, had split.
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In other celeb news, we told you Lisa Kudrow admits she felt like a ‘mountain of a woman’ next to Friends co-stars Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox.
We also revealed skimpy bikinis are set to be huge this summer with the likes of Olivia Buckland and the Kardashians already loving them.
And we told you Game of Thrones’ Sophie Turner considered suicide and staved herself until her periods stopped because she hated her ‘awkward’ teenage body.