A 25-year-old woman who is dating a 76-year-old man has clapped back at haters who call their 51-year age-gap ‘disturbing.’
Diana Montano, from San Diego, wasn’t looking for love when she met her now-boyfriend Edgar through a mutual friend. But as soon as she laid eyes on him, sparks flew.
The two officially got together in July 2024, and have been madly in love ever since.
But they have faced immense backlash over their romance, from people on the internet – as well as from Diana’s own family members.
While speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail about it, Diana confessed that the ‘hardest part’ of their age-gap romance has been introducing him to her social circle.
‘Figuring out the balance of how to involve him socially with the people in my life [has been the hardest part],’ she shared.
‘Unlike the partners of my friends who are easily integrated in our friend group and hang outs, it’s harder to get him involved because of the places we enjoy going to and then because I think about how he’d feel being involved in a group full of young adults.
‘I’ve had some family members who don’t agree and think I’m ruining my life. But it doesn’t bother me too much.
‘I understand how my relationship may appear at first glance, but I know I am happy.’
Diana said another problem she has faced is that her partner has a hard time communicating with her younger relatives at family get togethers due to the ‘language barrier’ between generations.
‘At family parties I was used to sitting with my cousins who are all around my age and occasionally I would go around and talk with my aunts and family friends who were in the older side,’ she explained.
‘But now I feel as though I need to sit more with my aunts and in general the older people in my family so that he’s able to socialize with people closer to his age.
‘The fact there’s a slight language barrier also contributes to this since I can’t entirely leave him alone.’
Unfortunately, Diana admitted that she has also received some horrific comments online after she began posting photos with Edgar.
She shared: ‘The worst comment was one that said, “I hope you die before he does,” and, “There’s a special place in hell for people who abuse the elderly.”‘
Diana and Edgar have also had their relationship called ‘disturbing’ and ‘disgusting’ by strangers.
But she doesn’t care what anybody else thinks and said her relationship with Edgar is the most ‘intimate and passionate’ one she’s ever been in.
‘I can understand why some may have judgements against us. A lot are quick to judge without knowing anything about us except what we post and I can tell some just really are there nitpicking, finding anything they could hate on just so that they can hate and feel their hate be justified,’ she added.
‘But when we read those comments it makes us laugh more than anything else, and at bare minimum it’s constructive feedback.’
‘I’ve also had a lot of positive words, with people asking how they can find a relationship like ours and asking if Edgar has any brothers.
‘For us, though, our age gap isn’t the center of our relationship. Yes, it’s obvious, and we’ve had people stare at us in public.
‘But everything with him feels so natural. Our conversations flow, he treats me with respect and he’s actually so full of life.’
Diana insisted that she and Edgar have had ‘no issues connecting’ despite coming from different generations because they share a lot of ‘common interests.’
‘We both like doing things that involve art like go to the theater to watch plays,’ she gushed.
‘We both enjoy being out in nature, so we go hiking together and we’re making plans to go skiing.
‘We’re both adventurist so I don’t feel like there’s anything that I’d like to do that I wouldn’t be able to do with him – we’ll even eventually go sky diving together.
‘If anything he’s more fit than me to do crazy things like mountaineering, which he’s done. And of course we both love traveling and exploring the world.’
But there are some differences, like her love of clubbing and bars – which he has little interest in.
She added, however, that Edgar is ‘very open’ and willing to embrace the things she loves even if he doesn’t.
When it comes to their sex life, she stayed coy, telling the Daily Mail: ‘I am attracted him, but anything concerning our sex life we would rather keep private.’
Diana said she is ‘not concerned’ about what will happen as Edgar gets older.
‘If he ends up needing care later in life then we’ll see if we get him a caretaker, something he’s mentioned he’d get, and of course I’ll participate in his care too,’ she said.
‘But it’s definitely not something that concerns me right now due to how fit he is. He is very healthy and maintains his strength by going to the gym at least three times a week.’
She concluded: ‘Edgar brings out the best in me – and I bring out the best in him. I love being with someone who is mature, patient and understanding. I’ve met my soulmate; there’s no one my age like him.’