‘WHAT MOST PEOPLE WERE DOING IN THEIR 20s, I was doing at 13’
Aaron Taylor-johnson and his fellow celebrities on their age-gap romances… By
For some celebrities, age is just a number. Whether they met through pals or on a night out; through awards shows or connected through social media, many stars have found love with partners where there’s several years between them — and are still going strong. This week, we’re taking a look at some of the age-gap relationships in Tinseltown… Aaron Taylor-johnson and Sam Taylor-johnson met when Aaron auditioned for Nowhere Boy, Sam’s directorial debut — and the actor proposed a year after the film wrapped, with the pair announcing their engagement at the film’s premiere.
The couple, who have a 24-year age gap, have two children together. The 33-year-old is also stepdad to the director’s two daughters from her previous marriage.
They got married in 2012, with both of them taking on the role of Taylor-johnson and renewed their vows in 2022. The couple have also worked together on 2019’s A Million Little Pieces.
The Bullet Train actor, who has been tipped to be the next actor to take on the role of James Bond, recently explained in an interview why he felt he was ready to settle down at a young age.
He told Rolling Stone,“what you gotta realise is that what most people were doing in their twenties, I was doing when I was 13.
“You’re doing something too quickly for someone else? I don’t understand that. What speed are you supposed to enjoy life at? It’s bizarre to me.”
The Avengers: Age of Ultron actor previously told Mr. Porter how he and the Back to Black filmmaker are“just in sync”as he gave night into their relationship.
He said in 2017,“I don’t really analyse our relationship. “I just know that it works. I just feel secure and loved and safe. We have this very deep connection. We’re just in sync.”
Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster began dating in 1999 and tied the knot in 2007.
“It was a beautiful thing to do. We’re not proving anything...”
The couple, who have 27 years between them, have two sons together — and in 2017, they renewed their vows at their home in Essex.
Stewart told Hello!,“penny is my whole world. What a girl.
“Love means many things to many people but to me, it’s wanting to share everything with the one you love and I love Penny more now than ever, if that is at all possible.
“It was a beautifully romantic thing to do. We’re not proving anything, just sharing our love with our friends and family.”
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds first met when they were working on 2010’s Green Lantern — but it wasn’t until a few years later that things between them turned romantic.
The Deadpool actor recalled in 2016, “About a year after Green Lantern had come and gone and we were both single, we went on a double date — she was on a date with another guy, and I was on a date with another girl — and it was like the most awkward date for the respective parties because we were just like fireworks coming across.”
The couple — who have 11 years between them — wed in 2012 and have four children together.
Priyanka Chopra-jonas and Nick Jonas first started romance rumours when they walked the red carpet at the 2017 Met Gala together — but it wasn’t until May the following year that they began dating.
The singer popped the question in July that year, and the couple wed in December 2018. They welcomed their daughter in early 2022.
In April last year, the Quantico actress opened up about the start of their relationship — and how she“didn’t give it much of a chance”initially due to their 10-year age gap.
She told TODAY,“I didn’t give it much of a chance because, I was like, ‘He’s 25 years old, he’s a rockstar. I want to get married, I want to settle down, I want to have a baby.’ I was 35 at the time.”
Things, however, changed quickly.
She continued, “I wanted stability, and I didn’t give Nick enough credit until I went out with him on our first date.
“We spent the whole evening together, and I realised my husband is just like an old soul. He’s stability in human form.”
Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor met at a party in 2005 — although they didn’t start dating until 2015 after reconnecting over social media.
The pair, who have 32 years between them, confirmed their relationship the following year.
In 2018, the American Horror Story alumni opened up to Elle about the public’s interest in their relationship.
She said,“i didn’t choose to fall in love with the person I fell in love with. But I think why it’s interesting to people is that on paper, it’s unconventional.
“For a person who might find themselves in a situation that they fear will be misperceived or judged, maybe they could see me living my life in a way that is authentic to me — just trying to be as real as possible. If that inspires anybody else, that can’t be a bad thing.”
Music producer David Foster and Katharine Mcphee first met during her season of American Idol, when he was a guest mentor.
The two of them became friends, with Foster even performing and Mcphee’s 2008 wedding to Nick Cokas.
She separated from Cokas in 2014, and the pair finalised their divorce the following year — while Foster’s divorce from Yolanda Hadid was finalised in 2017.
Foster and Mcphee sparked dating rumours in 2017, but ultimately made their red carpet debut together in May 2018. They got engaged two months later, before getting married in June 2019.
They welcomed their son in February 2021. The following month, Mcphee opened up about the 35-year age gap between her and Foster.
She told Dr. Berlin’s Informed Pregnancy Podcast how they had a “real journey”.
She said, “It took me a while to kind of come around to really want to have a real, serious relationship because I was very concerned with what people would think.”
The singer added that it’s important to remember“things are never as they appear”.
She continued,“we all have the ability to label things and to look at something for the way that it looks or face value and make a judgment.
“So I totally get the judgment initially, but things are never as they appear, things are never exactly as they appear and I’m in love with our love story and that’s all that matters.”
Jason Statham and Rosie Huntington-whiteley have been together nearly 15 years — and the couple have celebrated many amazing milestones along the way.
The couple first met in 2009 and kept their relationship lowkey, making their red carpet debut together in 2011. The pair got engaged in 2016, with Huntington-whiteley calling the action star the“love of my life”in a sweet birthday tribute later that year.
In February 2017, they shared that they were expecting their first child together — and their son was born that summer. In August 2021, the Rose Inc founder shared with on social media that their family was growing again — and heir daughter was born in 2022.
Huntington-whiteley opened up about their connection — and their 20-year age gap — in a 2013 interview.
She told Glamour,“his knowledge and strength are really inspiring and attractive, and that can come with a man who’s had a bit of time.
“We have a connection that has nothing to do with age. Work comes and goes, but if you have someone at home who thinks you’re the greatest person in the world, that keeps you going.”
Heidi Klum and Tokio Hotel guitarist Tom Kaulitz started dating in 2018, before tying the knot — twice — the next year.
And earlier this year, the America’s Got Talent judge told Glamour Germany her go-to response when people ask about their 16-year age gap — and her determination to live in the“here and now”with him.
She said,“i always say, how should I answer that? I’m 50 and no longer 20. I’m not a young girl who hasn’t experienced anything yet or has no idea about life. Time won’t stand still for me and Tom will never catch up with me. I’ll always be 16 years older, and I’m aware of that. “I know that I will look older than him sooner. Maybe it will be a problem for me in ten years’ time, maybe he won’t like it then. In 20 years, I’ll be 70. I usually plan for the future – but with my husband, I live in the here and now.”
George Clooney and Amal Clooney were introduced by a mutual pal back in the summer of 2013 and went on their first date later that year.
The pair had a bit of a whirlwind romance, with the Ocean’s Eleven actor proposing in April 2014. They wed in Venice in September of that year. In 2017, the couple — who have 17 years between them — welcomed their twins.
Camila Alves and Matthew Mcconaughey met at a club in 2006 — and the Dallas Buyers Club actor popped the question in 2011, with the pair tying the knot the following year.
The couple, who have a 13-year age gap between them, have three children together.
True Blood’s Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer met while filming the pilot for the HBO hit, which ran from 2008 until 2014. The couple announced their engagement in 2009, tying the knot the following summer.
The pair — who have a 13 year age gap — welcomed fraternal twins in 2012. Moyer also has two children from his first marriage.
Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart first met at the 2002 Golden Globe Awards — and went public months later when they walked the red carpet together hand-in-hand at thevenice Film Festival.
The couple wed in 2010, after eight years together.
And in 2003, Flockhart told Hello! how the 22 year age gap between the two of them“doesn’t faze”her. She said, ”Sometimes I even say, ‘Wow, I keep forgetting that he’s 22 years older than me.’ It doesn’t factor into our relationship at all.”
Hilarie Burton and
Jeffrey Dean Morgan were introduced in 2009 by their respective former co-stars, Daneel Harris and Jensen Ackles, on a blind date.
The couple — who have 16 years between them — welcomed their son, Augustus, the following year — and their daughter was born in 2018. They tied the knot in 2019.
John Stamos and Caitlin Mchugh first met on the set of Law and Order: Special Victim’s Unit in 2011 — and reconnected years later on the set of Fuller House, when Mchugh was in the audience to support her roommate.
The pair, who have a 23-year age gap between them, went public with their romance in 2016. Stamos popped the question at Disneyland in October the following year — and in December 2017, they shared that they were expecting their first child together.
They wed in February 2018 and welcomed their son in April that year.