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Heidi Klum Is Tired of Defending the 16-Year Age Gap in Her Tom Kaulitz Marriage

Heidi Klum just celebrated her fifth wedding anniversary with husband Tom Kaulitz, and they’ve always looked blissfully in love. However, she’s starting to get a bit frustrated with constantly having to defend their coupling because of their 16-year age gap — there might be a bit of sexism and ageism at play. 

The 50-year-old supermodel talked about her romance with the 34-year-old Tokio Hotel guitarist to Glamour Germany. “I think it’s often just spitefulness,” she explained of critics taking issue with their age difference. “Perhaps many people also think I’ve had too much luck in life. I have a great job, I get to travel the world, I can buy expensive things. And now I’ve also got myself such a great man.”

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 07: (L-R) Tom Kaulitz and Heidi Klum attend the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton on January 07, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Monica Schipper/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 07: (L-R) Tom Kaulitz and Heidi Klum attend the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton on January 07, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. Monica Schipper/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images.

Klum finds that “age-shaming” is something people casually toss around even though they “are rightly extremely careful about everything [else] they say.” She noted, “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.” She understands that she will someday “look older than him sooner” — it’s just a fact of life. 

The fashion icon is doing her best to ignore the criticism and focus on her loving marriage. “Maybe it will be a problem for me in 10 years’ time, maybe he won’t like it then,” she added. “In 20 years, I’ll be 70. I usually plan for the future – but with my husband, I live in the here and now.” Klum told SheKnows in 2022 that the negative energy has been a source of irritation for a while. “A lot of people were, you know, not giving us the positive vibes when we first started dating because I’m 16 years older than him,” she explained. “But I feel like, there too, if it feels right when you close your door at home and you know what you have together, I think that is the most important thing.”

Klum is taking it all in stride, though. “Not everyone is always cheering you on in all things that you do,” she concluded. “But I feel like you’ve got to do what makes you happy. And he made me happy. And we’re still happy and having a great time together.” 

And that’s something everyone should be celebrating — a joyful Hollywood marriage.

Before you go, click here to see all the celebrities who are dating or married to older women.

Hugh Jackman, Deborra-Lee Furness

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