Olivia Wilde addresses 'crazy' response to age gap relationship with Harry Styles
Dating a member of one of the world's biggest boybands is no easy feat - as Olivia Wilde discovered.
The American actress and filmmaker, 42, felt the wrath of One Direction fans after she became romantically involved with heartthrob Harry Styles in 2020.
She has now opened up about how their 10-year age difference managed to 'really upset people', while revealing how she dealt with the relentless backlash.
Wilde reportedly struck up a relationship with the 32-year-old singer when they first met on the set of her film Don't Worry Darling back in September 2020.
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The rumour mill went into overdrive when they were first spotted growing close, but they only publicly debuted their romance a few months later.
They got together while the dust from Wilde's split from actor Jason Sudeikis was still settling too, which only added further fuel to the online fire surrounding her love affair with Styles.
But the point of contention for most social media trolls was the fact that The Invite star is a decade older than her former fella.
During a recent appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Wilde addressed the critical comments she received about this aspect of her relationship with the 'As It Was' hitmaker.
Pointing out that their age gap 'really did upset people', the mother-of-three said: "It was crazy. I don’t know how much I understand it yet.
"That’s one of the factors that I never really felt like, I fully, I don’t know."
She went on to praise Styles for handling the 'enormous' responsibility of being under incredible scrutiny with such elegance.
"People were f****** p***ed," Wilde went on. "I think it also had a lot to do with the kind of parasocial relationship people have with him which is a burden that is very weighty and not something I envy. He carries it with grace."
The New York-born screen star went on to fondly recall her relationship with Styles, while offering some insight into what he is like as a partner.
"It’s wild because we had the loveliest relationship, so sweet and beautiful, and really very domestic and lovely," Wilde told host Alex Cooper.
"I think we existed in this little bubble, and the judgment never got in, which was a miracle, a testament to us making that happen. I think that people were mad. It was almost like the happiness made them mad.
"I would go to shows and dance, and people were like, ‘You s**t! How dare you dance and smile?’ It really did upset people, though."
Wilde also revealed that she couldn't understand the way in which she was being villainised online.
"I’ve never felt more disconnected from the person that people were talking about,” she continued. "I was like, ‘Who are they talking about? Who is that girl?'
"It was also very strange to see complete fiction traded as fact. My private life was very far from it and very actually wholesome and sweet."
Styles has since moved on with Zoe Kravitz and he reportedly popped the question earlier this year.
Wilde also opened up about the 'f**ked up' moment that she received custody papers whilst on stage at CinemaCon from former partner Sudeikis.
Topics: Celebrity, Harry Styles, Sex and Relationships, Celebrity News
Olivia Burke