Women give views on Leonardo DiCaprio, 48, linked to 19-year-old model

Leave Leonardo DiCaprio alone, we love dating older men! It’s sexist to claim confident young women are always ‘victims’ in age-gap matches

• Leonardo DiCaprio, 48, pictured with model Eden Polani, 19, sparking rumours
• He has faced backlash from many for dating younger, but these women disagree 
• READ MORE: Who is Eden Polani? French-Israeli model’s high-profile career

Ever since Leonardo DiCaprio, 48, was pictured cosying up with 19-year-old model Eden Polani he’s been subject to a furious backlash, with critics lining up claim his rumoured love interest is somehow being exploited.   

The Titanic actor is known for dating women under the age of 25 – but the 29-year age gap between Leo and Paris-born Polani has seen him under fire across the internet with even TV star Megyn Kelly weighing in.

Critics have pointed out that DiCaprio – who was born in 1974 – shot to fame in the 1990s – years before his rumoured beau began life in 2003. 

However, women who have dated significantly older men have told Femail that it’s sexist to claim that an aspiring starlet like Ms Polani doesn’t know her own mind, even though she’s in her late teens. 

And they’ve pointed out that – aside from the fact that she may simply have a penchant for the older gentleman – her burgeoning career has surely received a boost from the publicity of being linked to one of the world’s biggest stars.  

Leo DiCaprio, 48, has faced backlash over his ‘romance’ with Eden Polani, 19, after the pair were pictured at a party together in LA on January 31

The former teenage hearthrob was first pictured with Polani at Detroit-born singer Ebony Riley’s release party for her new EP in LA on January 31. 

Those closest to DiCaprio have furiously denied the pair are linked, and Polani initially deactivated her Instagram – which now appears to be back online.

The successful model and influencer, who has graced the cover of Glamour magazine and runways for major designers, has been seen labelled a ‘victim’ by some. 

While commentators have expressed concern that the teenager is being taken advantage of, others have slammed the criticism as baseless, pointing out that Polani is an adult woman who can date who she wants. 

Here, women who have all have first-hand experience of that kind of criticism – having been in relationships with sizeable age gaps themselves – share their stories with Femail.

Annette Kellow, Emma Woodhouse, Sunita Thind and Shona Sibary explain why they think women should be allowed to date who they like – be that an older colleague, their landlord or even Leonardo DiCaprio.

Critics have pointed out that DiCaprio – who was born in 1974 – shot to fame in the 1990s – years before his rumoured beau began life in 2003 

Annette Kellow, 39, journalist from London: ‘My sons father is 31 years older than me’ 

He’s been made into memes, mocked at award ceremonies and Twitter has gone gaga all because our lovely Leo apparently likes a younger lady.

But is it really that bad? It’s a tale as old as time but I think not!

You see dear reader, I myself am partial to an older man.

Feminists cover your ears now but throughout my twenties and thirties, nearly all of my boyfriends have been older than me, treating me like a princess and caring for my every need. Even my four-year-old son’s father is a whopping 31 years older than me.

While I did not feel the relationship with him worked for me long term, it wasn’t because of age, and all of my older boyfriends have taught me something valuable in life.

Annette Kellow, a journalist who lives in Kensington, London, said she has almost always dated older men – and shares her four-year-old son with a man 31 years older than her

‘Feminists cover your ears now but throughout my twenties and thirties, nearly all of my boyfriends have been older than me,’ Annette revealed

There was the older guy that took me under his wing in St Tropez for the summer, another who helped me map out a career plan and here’s the important part; I’ve always known what I was getting into.

Many say that Leo is skating on thin ice, but if I’m honest, there’s no smoke without fire.

Eden Polani will now have significant fame, lucrative brand deals, and will reap the many financial benefits of being seen in the public eye with someone so well known.

Many on Twitter say they are ‘disturbed’ at the sight of Leonardo with yet another younger woman, and that ‘Titanic is older than his latest flame.’

And while it’s true the development of the prefrontal cortex (the mature part of the brain) occurs primarily during adolescence and is fully accomplished by the age of 25 years, I don’t believe a young adult is not able to make executive decisions before then.

Take millionaires Simran Kaur, Mollie-Mae Hague, and Saffron Barker all of who have the mental maturity to be solely successful in their careers, and all of whom are 25 or below.

And while it may be a bitter pill to swallow, I feel there’s something in it for the women who date older men too.

Most of the lovely ladies Leo dates are either models, actresses or influencers who could do with a leg up in the fame department. Surely, it can’t be the worst thing in the world to be seen sliding into somewhere fabulous on Leonardo DeCaprio’s arm?

But what the hell is it about an older man that can be so damn attractive?

Well, I believe it’s a mix of knowledge, wisdom, and comfort and that they are generally more settled in life; something younger guys frequently don’t have.

I did give dating guys my own age a try for a while. Let’s just say chivalry was not in their vocabulary!

One guy asked me to go halves with him on an Uber pool home (the total? a meagre £8) while another said he enjoyed playing Minecraft until the early hours of the morning! 

Hardly the stuff of romance novels and I imagined his bedroom to be full of grotty socks and misplaced cold cups of coffee.

That’s why for me, dating an older man is different.

‘I think in 2023 it’s all about different strokes for different folks. And after all, there’s plenty to go around for all of us,’ Annette says

‘I thoroughly enjoy the door being opened for me, wined and dined, being showered with affection, driven around in a fancy car, and being the centre of attention. Who wouldn’t?’

I thoroughly enjoy the door being opened for me, wined and dined, being showered with affection, driven around in a fancy car, and being the centre of attention. Who wouldn’t?

Plus they frequently give good career advice, teach nuggets of worldly wisdom and are generally good fun to be around.

Also because they’ve been around the block they often know what makes a woman tick… if you know what I mean!

Many will call it gold digging and say a younger woman dating an older man is only there because of money. Not true. I’ve had enough older boyfriends to know they can see straight through a woman who is solely there for the money.

And what actually is the definition of gold digging?

A woman who wants to be with a significant other that can offer something different or a man who enjoys the company of a vibrant young woman? One could argue there’s a bit of digging of ‘gold’ going on both sides.

But for me, the piece de resistance when it comes to dating an older man is how they make you feel.

All the older men I have dated certainly haven’t been snoozing in the armchair with footie replays going on.

Indeed one of the 55-year-old men I dated in America who was very self-assured, full of business advice and had great anecdotes, loved to go out. His motto was to seize the day and it really lifted my spirits being around him.

It was only after I moved back to England that I discovered his family were a billionaire dynasty and I had been nattering to his sister about how much I loved buying bargains in charity shops!

While I would never condone something illegal I think in 2023 it’s all about different strokes for different folks. And after all, there’s plenty to go around for all of us.

Recently a female friend of mine returned to the dating scene at age 50 and set her age range to 25. She’s having a ball with the younger ones!

Plus when the shoes on the other foot, no one seems to bat an eyelid about female celebrities being with a young handsome cad.

Take Joan Collins, Shakira and Britney, all of who are rather fond of a younger man.

While I’m no longer 19, I believe it goes both ways and there is nothing at all wrong with dating older.

And as Marilyn Monroe once famously said, ‘You might not marry a girl just because she’s pretty, but my goodness doesn’t it help?’

Emma Woodhouse, 41, communications and PR executive, from London: ‘ I met my husband at work when I was 23 and he was 38’

‘Do you have a spicy young wife then?’ a new work associate asked my 56-year-old husband after he told him that we have a seven year-old son.

I have grown accustomed to tropes like this since I met my husband 18 years ago when I was 23 and he was 38.

Emma Woodhouse, 41, met her husband 18 years ago while she was working as a magazine editor – she was 23 and he was 38

Emma is pictured with her husband Jonathon (right), who she met when she was 23. The couple have a son together, 7-year-old Nico (left)

I was a new magazine editor with zero professional experience, but bucketloads of confidence, bolstered by my fiendishly bright close group of girlfriends and ‘Sex and the City.’ 

Jonathan was a rakish photographer who walked into my office to show me his portfolio; an evocative collection of war photograpy, celebrity portraits and travel. 

I was hooked. First on his work, then on him. I hired him on the spot.

Still, strangers asked, ‘do you work?’ I’m used to assumptions about a power imbalance, similar ones that pushed accomplished professional Eden Polani to delete her Instagram account.

Of course being a young woman comes with vulnerabilities. At 19, Polani’s age, I was plied with champagne and groped in a taxi by an ad exec who was DiCaprio’s age. He had invited me to the opening night of Tate Modern under the pretence of networking. I was bereft but kept pushing for career opportunities elsewhere.

Is there a woman alive who didn’t find 19 exhausting? I love being 41 now, invisible and able to sit at a bar without being letched. But I’ll never strip a young woman of her agency. I wish I still possessed the risk-taking, raw confidence I had at Polani’s age.

Jonathan and I have lived in many countries since we met. In some, the sight of a 19 year-old at a bar with a much older man – usually foreign and wealthier – is common. I admit to flinching but less about the age than the stark power imbalance of an old man dating a teenager who needs a means to put her siblings through school, or lift her family out of gruelling poverty.

Generally though, If there’s anything I have learned it’s to never judge a relationship between two consenting adults. They’re complex enough without the pearl-clutching condemnation of people who don’t know you.

Sunita Thind, 40, Derby, model, writer and make up artist: ‘I dated a 39-year-old when I was 19’

When I was 19 or 20 and still at university in Newcastle and I was living my best life, I was modelling in my spare time and doing fashion fittings at the Fashion department of the university. 

I was so proud I was making my own income and that was when I met this Alexander Skaasgard lookalike. He was a photographer and loved anything exotic.

At a photoshoot we got chatting, he was super friendly but definitely older, he had just finished dating an older model but had broken up. 

He was 39 years old but looked a lot younger.

Sunita Thind, 40, a writer and model, says she was 19 or 20 when she met a 39-year-old Alexander Skaasgard lookalike

Max had a thrilling personality we started dating casually, he was very interested in my South Asian culture and loved for me to dress up. 

When we went on dates, he would insist I wore sari tops, a tika (Indian head jewellery) and lenghas (Indian top and skirts) and would love to go to Indian restaurants and Bhangra music nights held at various clubs. 

He was very charismatic and loved to meet my friends, they all loved him.

He treated me like a trophy girlfriend and a pet, he was very tender but things got to heavy, and he became possessive so I ended the relationship. 

The relationship really opened my eyes up to life and relationships and how different but also similar you can be regardless of age. 

We were both free spirits and I think It can judgemental when you make assumptions and negative opinions of younger women like Eden Polani with Leo DiCaprio. 

As women we must learn to make our own choice and mistakes that is how we grow isn’t it? 

I am not saying older guys don’t take advantage they do, but perhaps recall that you were young once and might have been in a similar situation.

Shona Sibary, 51, Chichester, writer and mother-of-four: ‘I dated a man 25 years older when I was 19’

Reading the rumours this week that actor, Leonardo DiCaprio, is dating 19-year-old Israeli model Eden Polani, brings back a memory from years ago, when, aged 19, I also dated and lived with a much older man. 

Robin was 44, so not quite as old as Leonardo, and our relationship had a 25 year age gap which didn’t bother me at all but, looking back, I can see it raised eyebrows with friends and family.

Still, I was madly in love and thought Robin was ‘the one.’ We met when I rented a room in his farmhouse – he ran a smallholding just outside Dorking – and I’d moved to the area to work as a junior reporter on the local newspaper. 

There was something about his maturity that was incredibly sexy. He wasn’t like boys my own age. 

Like Eden Polani, Shona Sibary, a writer from Chichester, was 19 when she had a relationship with a much older man

He felt safe – in charge and in control. And I can see now that I needed that. I was finding my way in the world, my parents had just got divorced and I felt vulnerable. 

Robin was just a year younger than my own father but it didn’t matter to me a jot. He had life experience, was fascinating to talk to and he made me feel looked after.

But a few months into our relationship we were out for dinner one night and the waiter who came to take our order, turned to Robin and said: ‘Does your daughter have her ID with her?’ 

The look of utter horror on his face said it all. Things went downhill from there. But, ultimately, it was him, not me, who couldn’t live with the reality of our age gap.

DiCaprio has denied the romance with Eden Polani, amid furious backlash over their 29 year age gap, but I can’t help wondering how bothered she is with all the fuss? 

After all, I know what a pull a relationship with an older man can be no matter how distasteful others might find it. 

So what if he’s old enough to be her father? She doesn’t have to be the victim in this. She’s old enough to know what she wants.

Leonardo DiCaprio’s Dating History

The Django Unchained star has famously made a habit of never dating any woman over the age of 25.

GISELE BUNDCHEN (1999-2004)

Gisele and Leonardo at the 2005 Academy Awards

 Leo’s first high-profile relationship was with the Brazilian model, who was 20 when the pair hooked up. She broke off the relationship five years later at the age of 25.

BAR REFAELI (2005-2010) 

Bar Refaeli

The actor’s relationship with Bar Refaeli ended after 5 years of dating – coincidentally the same time the Israeli model turned 25.

BLAKE LIVELY (2011)

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds

The current wife of Ryan Reynolds dated Leo for just one year – when she was 23. 

ERIN HEATHERTON (2012)

Erin Heatherton

The Victoria’s Secret Angel alum was just 22 when she dated DiCaprio in 2012.

TONI GARRN (2013-2014)

Toni Garrn

German-born model Garrn was just 21 when she and Leo broke up after two years of dating.

KELLY ROHRBACH (2015)

Kelly Rohrbach on the set of Baywatch

The Baywatch reboot star was 25 when she and DiCaprio dated from June until around December of 2015, with the break alleged to be a mutual decision

NINA AGDAL (2016-2017)

Nina Agdal and her ex Jack Brinkley Cook

Things ended between Leo and the Danish swimsuit model after she hit 25 in 2017.

CAMILA MORRONE (2017–2022) 

Leo and Camila out and about in New York City in May 2018

Leo and the model-turned-actress began dating just months after his split from Nina Agdal. The were reported to be more serious than ever at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, but the two reportedly split over the summer of 2022.

GIGI HADID (SEPTEMBER 2022 – DECEMBER 2022) 

Gigi Hadid walks the runway in Paris in October 2022

Following his August split from Morrone, it was reported that Leo had his eyes on model Gigi Hadid. The pair were seen hanging at NYC hotspots but the romance seemingly fizzled out in December.

VICTORIA LAMAS (DECEMBER 2022 – NOW)

Victoria Lamas pictured 

Leo was previously romantically linked to model/actress Victoria Lamas, who happens to be the daughter of actor Lorenzo Lamas. The pair were spotted hanging in Hollywood in late December and reportedly rang in the New Year together.

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