As the saying goes, age ain't nothing but a number. And that's certainly true for a
significant number of celebrity couples. Keep watching for just a sampling of the
many famous romantic pairings who have found love despite major age differences.
In July 2021, Trading Spaces star Ty Pennington popped the question to his girlfriend,
social media manager Kellee Merrell. Since she's not in the spotlight very much, the two had always
kept their relationship pretty private. But soon after their engagement, it quickly became
public knowledge that they had a significant age difference. They're 23 years apart, to be exact.
At the time of their engagement, the famous contractor was 56 years old and his soon-to-be
bride was 33. But despite that age gap, their love for each other appears to have no limits,
which was clear when Pennington declared on Instagram,
"Thank you ... Universe ... for creating this amazing human ... who somehow tolerates me
...even tho [sic] I'm beginning to look like papa smurf after a Willie Nelson concert."
The two had actually met all the way back in 2010 when Merrill was in her early 20s,
but it wasn't until 2020 that they reunited and made their relationship
official. As Pennington gushed to People Magazine,
"Luckily, our paths finally crossed at the right time."
As soon as Priyanka Chopra was first spotted with Nick Jonas back in 2017,
fans were instantly filled with jealousy. Yes indeed, Kevin and Joe's younger brother had
fallen in love with someone a decade older than him. As Chopra admitted to InStyle,
"People gave us a lot of s--- about that and still do. I find it really amazing
when you flip it and the guy is older, no one cares and actually people like it."
Though everybody else seems to have a problem with the age gap, it's never posed a problem
for them. It turns out that even though Jonas is ten years younger than his wife,
he's actually an old soul when he's out of the spotlight. As Chopra revealed to Vogue in 2018,
"I call him Old Man Jonas."
Since tying the knot in 2018, the two have made their relationship look easy.
Despite their age difference, they're clearly head over heels for each other.
As Jonas shared on Instagram in December 2020,
"I can't believe how lucky I am."
"What do you like about older women?" "They know what they want."
When George Clooney first met his wife Amal, he wasn't sure if he was making a good impression.
As he admitted during a December 2020 appearance on The Howard Stern Show,
"I couldn't tell if she liked me, you know?"
“I'm 17 years older than her, so she might have thought I was, you know, grandpa."
But despite their age difference and Clooney's trepidations, sparks instantly
flew between the two of them. Furthermore, it was obvious to pretty much everyone else
why they made the perfect pairing; even Clooney's agent knew that she was the one for him. But it
was Amal's father who wasn't so sure about their relationship. As George explained to Howard Stern,
"The funniest part was that she gets a letter from her father going,
'I'm going to give you 10 reasons why this is a terrible idea to date this guy.'"
Their significant age difference may have been on that list, but that still didn't stop them.
In 2014, the Clooneys tied the knot in Italy, and they've been going strong ever since.
Catherine Zeta-Jones doesn't think it's a big deal
that her husband Michael Douglas is significantly older than her,
which was clear during a 2001 interview with Larry King. As Zeta-Jones explained,
"When my mother was telling me about men and telling me the facts of life,
she never actually put an age bracket on it."
Therefore, the actress always felt free to fall in love with whomever she pleased. It was back in
the 90s when she first met her now-husband. The two were introduced at a film festival,
and Douglas was immediately interested in her. They were 25 years apart, and Zeta-Jones hadn't
even considered dating an older man, but that eventually changed. As she admitted to Larry King,
"It's so funny because Michael and my parents are the same age."
After a year of chatting over the phone, the two became official and then tied the knot in 2000.
Though their relationship has experienced its ups and downs over the years,
their age difference has never had an impact on their marriage.
When Larry King asked her if she ever worries about the age gap, she insisted,
"Never. And Michael never makes me feel like that."
"It's just been so fun."
Starting up a conversation with a stranger at a party became something so much more for Gal Gadot.
A random retreat in the desert was where the Wonder Woman actress met the man of her dreams,
and they've been inseparable ever since. Her now-husband,
real estate developer Jaron Varsano, knew that the Israeli movie star was
the one for him from the get-go. As Gadot revealed to Glamour in 2016,
"He told me on our second date he was serious and wasn't going to wait more than two years
to ask me to marry him. Fast-forward two years; he proposed. We were married in 2008."
While Varsano may have appeared quite confident,
Gadot wasn't absolutely sure at first. As she admitted,
"I was too young to get it. He did! He's 10 years older than me."
But despite their age difference, the two eventually ended up on the same page.
As of 2021, they're still going strong, and they have three kids together.
One day, Jeff Goldblum was getting in shape at the gym when he spied his future wife from afar.
The famous actor decided to strike up a conversation.
But oddly enough, the woman he was talking to, former Olympic gymnast Emilie Livingston,
had no idea who he was. As he later admitted during an interview on SiriusXM in 2019,
"She hasn't seen many of my movies still."
But despite apparently not being a big fan of the likes of Independence Day or The Fly,
Livingston was still interested. The couple's 30-year age difference never posed a problem
in their relationship until they decided to have children. It's only because of their two little
ones that Goldblum worries about being older than his wife. As he admitted to iNews in 2018,
"I keep doing the math, and keep extrapolating where they're going to be,
and where I'm going to be. And when I buy a watch, I wonder who's going to get it."
But other than that, marrying a younger woman has been a walk in the Jurassic Park for Goldblum.
As he put it,
"I’m glad I waited. It feels great to do it right now."
Even if you're a big fan of Ellen DeGeneres, you might not have ever realized that she's 15
years older than her wife, Portia de Rossi. It's never really been an issue in their relationship,
except when the idea of having children comes up. As DeGeneres admitted to People Magazine in 2005,
"That's the only time I think about age."
The two initially met through mutual friends and felt an immediate connection.
But It wasn't until 2008, when same-sex marriage became legal in California,
that they were finally able to tie the knot.
For the most part, they've kept their relationship fairly low-key, but fans
have gotten a few glimpses of de Rossi during her appearances on DeGeneres' daytime talk show.
As we've watched the famous comedian open up every episode with a dance number, it seems safe to say
that her age has never been an issue in most situations for her. As she declared to People,
"I forget how old I am."
It was 2019 when Florence Pugh and Zach Braff were spotted together for the very first time.
The two had met on the set of Braff's short film In the Time It Takes to Get There
and definitely seemed to hit it off. It took no time at all for the press to start reporting on
their relationship. Though the two actors were clearly interested in each other based on the
photos of them that ended up on the internet, their 21-year age gap had some people concerned.
Some fans even took to Instagram to voice their opinions on Pugh's personal account.
After Braff commented with a princess emoji on one of his Pugh's photos in early 2020,
one follower took the time to drop a comment regarding their age difference,
and the negative attention hasn't stopped since then. But despite the naysaying, the two have
continued to defend themselves. Since making their partnership public, Pugh has had the perfect
response to everyone doubting her relationship. As she told The Times of London in 2021,
"I do not need you to tell me who I should and should not love.
It is not your place and, really, it has nothing to do with you."
Matthew McConaughey doesn't consider himself "a club guy," as he told People Magazine in 2017.
But in 2006, he made an exception with a spur-of-the-moment decision to join his
friends at a club. And he's glad he did. That's because it's where he met his future wife,
model-entrepreneur Camila Alves. But at the time, he wasn't actively looking for anything, instead
preferring to be happily single. That may not be the kind of meet-cute story you would expect from
frequent rom-com star McConaughey, but ultimately it's hard to argue that it turned out...
"Alright, alright, alright."
The Oscar-winning actor is 13 years older than his wife, and their age difference has surprisingly
enough been a big key to their successful relationship. As he explained to People,
"It's got to be the right person, but it has to be the right time [...] I could
have met her 15 years ago, and it wouldn't have — maybe not — wouldn't have been."
At this moment in time in least, their relationship has clearly been working out.
Like others on this list, age is only a number to Alec Baldwin.
As he explained during an appearance on the podcast Literally! With Rob Lowe,
"My goal wasn't to marry a much younger woman."
But he knew that his future wife Hilaria was the one the moment that he was seated at a
table next to her at a local restaurant. Because of their 26-year age difference,
Alec has admitted that he and his wife clearly have what he's called
a "generational gap." In order to be respectful while they were dating, he would end each night
with a handshake. As Hilaria revealed on a 2020 episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show,
"He shook my hand for six weeks and didn't kiss me when we met."
The Baldwins' generational gap seems to be at its widest when they're raising
their six children together. As Alec admitted to Rob Lowe,
"We do not always agree. My wife prevails, if you will,
but we do not always agree because I'm still much older than my wife."
You know what they say: happy wife, happy life!
"Your wife is rubbing off on you."
"Don't you dare say that!"
Winning a Golden Globe is one thing,
but walking away with the love of your life in addition to the award after the ceremony is
quite another. That's exactly what happened to Harrison Ford in 2002 when he met Calista
Flockhart. He made his feelings clear to Hello! Magazine in 2003 when he declared,
"I'm in love. Romantic love is one of the most exciting and fulfilling kinds of love
and I think there is a potential for it at any stage of your life."
Ford is 22 years older than Flockhart, and while being married to a man who's more than
two decades her senior may sound difficult, it's never affected Flockhart's feelings.
As she admitted to People Magazine in 2003,
"Sometimes I even say, 'Wow, I keep forgetting that he's [22] years older than me.'"
From Ford's perspective, there's a reason his marriage has lasted so long,
which he revealed to Parade Magazine in 2020 by advising,
"Don't talk. Nod your head."
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