'Age gap' relationships are set to be the biggest dating trend in 2024
There was once a time when 'age gap' relationships were viewed societally as 'taboo', or sinister in some way.
A man that went for a significantly younger woman would be seen as some form of sleeze, while the lady in this situation would be dubbed a 'gold-digger'.
Similarly, an older woman going for a younger man would earn her the reputation as a 'cougar' or 'cradle-snatcher', while the gent here would be seen as having a fetish.
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But luckily, times are changing, and people are coming to terms with the idea of age being just a number when it comes to the course of true love (within legal limits, of course).
Several celebrity couples have been proving that there's nothing inconspicuous about falling in love with someone that is double or half your age.
In 2014, famed bachelor George Clooney, then 52 years old, went public with his international human rights lawyer girlfriend, then 35-year-old Amal Alamuddin, and they quickly became a fan-favourite power couple.
Actor Jason Statham, 56, and model-actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, 36, started dating in 2010 before going on to become one of Hollywood's hottest couples.
Previously divorced Ryan Reynolds was 33 and now mother-to-his four-children Blake Lively was only 22 when they first locked lips.
Similarly, Beyonce and Jay-Z had an age gap of 13 years when they fell head over heels for one another back in 2001.
And who could forget Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, who - despite being a quarter-of-a-century apart in age - still resemble a couple of teenagers in love?
Apparently, there's a viable reason why so many celebrity 'age gap' relationships go on to last a lifetime.
In fact, according to experts working at the popular dating app Bumble, cross-generational relationships are expected to surge as we move into 2024.
After conducting several studies, these dating experts have found 63 percent of participants said age isn't a defining factor in their search for love.
On top of this, a further 59 percent of women said they would be open to dating someone younger than them.
Speaking to Indy100 this week, sex and relationships pro Dr Caroline West described these findings as 'really interesting'.
"When you tear up that rulebook and allow yourself to date people that you may not have dated before, you can have new experiences and actually find someone who is right for you," she explained.
"Rather than someone trying to fit this tiny little box that you may have put them in before."
Topics: Celebrity, Sex and Relationships, Dating trends
Rhianna Benson