“Age is just a number.” This well-known saying when it comes to love and it is widely used by people who want to take away the freedom of several girls at such a young age. It is a famous excuse to date underaged girls, but it can also be appalling and unacceptable to most people when there is a huge age gap between the two lovebirds.

The question is – why are women more into men generations or years older than them? Why can’t they just like people around their age? According to a study published in Cerebral Cortex, the brains of women mature faster than the brains of men, which means women are more prepared to handle responsibilities and face challenges. To be exact, it takes 11 years after women for men’s mental health to be fully developed.

Mentally, our perspective on love is different when we are young. We deem love as a mere infatuation. We deem love as short-lived. We deem love as selfish and immature. We don’t date to be with the person in front of the altar, saying vows. We date them to feel the love in the moment, to go with the trend when it shouldn’t be like that. We shouldn’t give up easily when the going gets tough. We should fight for it until the end.

Emotionally, we are too sensitive when we base love on a feeling. We become so attached to the other person that we suffocate our partners and fail to embrace commitment. We focus on what we expect to receive from the other line when it should go both ways.

Thus, women need men who can treat them like a princess, not a toy. They need men who can understand them without being judgmental. They need men who can make wise decisions. They need men who envision a bright future. They need men who are there because they love them, not only because they are after something from them.

15. R. Kelly

Three years after they have met and worked with each other as American singers and songwriters, Robert Sylvester “R. Kelly” Kelly and Aaliyah Dana Haughton secretly married in 1994. R. Kelly was 27 whereas Aaliyah was 15. Since Aaliyah was underaged, they faked the papers for them to get married. As seen on the marriage certificate which was publicly displayed, Aaliyah was 18, but R. Kelly retained his real age, 27.

Aaliyah’s parents were shocked when they found out about it and demanded Aaliyah to file an annulment. She obeyed and they separated in 1995. Six years after their separation, in 2001, Aaliyah died in a plane crash in the Bahamas. Despite the tragic event, “But I can you that I loved her. I can tell you she loved her. We [were] very close. We were, you know, best best best best friends,” R. Kelly admitted in an interview with GQ magazine in 2016.

14. Paul Walker

American actor Paul Walker was 33 when he met non-showbiz girlfriend Jasmine Pilchard-Gosnell who was only 16. As Walker shared, “I like low maintenance, natural, outdoor, shy girls.” Pilchard-Gosnell seemed to have all those characteristics because their relationship lasted until Walker’s last breath. Walker died in a petrifying car accident in 2013. Pilchard-Gosnell struggled to stand back on her feet after the loss of her partner, but never disclosed all her emotions publicly. She merely posted on Facebook a status. “I walk the streets of one,” she said. Her family members, however, said that she had to undergo therapy to come back to her senses.

13. Freddy Moore

At age 29, American Rockstar Freddy Moore came across Demi Gene Guynes, who later became the renowned actress Demi Moore. She was 17 then. They were married from 1980 to 1984, a year after they met. It was traced back to Demi Moore’s chaotic past that leads to her impulsive decision to marry with just a few months of dating. She needed stability both in life and finance since she moved out of their family’s house and quit junior high school two years prior her meeting with Freddy Moore.

Despite their separation, Demi Moore continues to use Freddy Moore’s last name as her screen name.

12. Elvis Presley

Elvis and Priscilla Beaulieu Presley had a ten-year age gap. Priscilla was about 14 when she started hanging out with Elvis. They had to take on the challenge of being away with each other because Elvis had to serve the army.

Though their hearts were connected, gossips about Elvis having affairs bloomed, which made Priscilla doubtful. It was the price she had to pay for falling for a famous musician. The doubts and worries went away when Elvis and Priscilla married in 1967. A year after, a symbol of their love was born – Lisa Marie. However, due to Elvis’ drug addiction and unfaithfulness, they got divorced six years after they tied a knot.

11. Joel Madden

Good Charlotte lead vocalist Joel Madden was 26 when he dated American actress Hilary Duff who was ten years younger. For three years, they were together but called it quits without announcing why they did so. During an interview, Duff shared a little bit about their relationship.

“It was so all encompassing. It was so intense. It was my life. It was like every minute of my day. It was pretty major,” she said. When asked if she lost her virginity to Madden, she didn’t give a clear and direct response. Instead, she gave hints. “I had a 26-year-old boyfriend. So everyone can make their own assumptions about what I was doing,” she replied.

10. Chad Michael Murray

In 2006, American actor Chad Michael Murray and American actress Kenzie Dalton were engaged when they were 32 and 18, respectively. They had more than 10 years of age gap. Basically, a few months or years before the engagement, the two dated when Dalton was below 18. Though, they canceled their engagement seven years after, in 2013. They requested and decided to keep the reasons private so no official statement was released. Still, they were known as the best of friends, having each other’s back. Not only did their relationship fall apart, but their friendship too. Perhaps, a little bit of understanding was needed.

9. Jerry Seinfeld

American actor Jerry Seinfeld and fashion designer Shoshanna Lonstein’s past love story was a walk in the park, literally. When Seinfeld was 38 and Lonstein was 17, they met at Central Park in 1993. Apparently, Lonstein caught Seinfeld’s attention and that was the beginning of it. Though Seinfeld denied the allegations of them dating, a few months after, they were spotted being clingy at George Washington University, where Lonstein studied.

He had fallen in love with the spell of love despite them being more than twenty years apart. The comedian would visit her occasionally and take her on dates to keep the relationship alive. However, in 1997, they broke up when Lonstein graduated from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and wanted to go back to New York, leaving Seinfeld behind.

8. Tyga

Actress and model Kylie Jenner was only 16 when she dated American rapper Michael Ray “Tyga” Stevenson who was already 24. Two years before they became a thing, Kylie Jenner already liked Tyga when he performed at her sister’s birthday party. They started out as friends before being one of the most controversial couples in the scene because of Tyga already had a fiancée named Blac Chyna. He broke up with Chyna to be with Jenner, even though they had a son, but on Twitter, he denied that it was because of Jenner.

In 2014, however, they were spotted together more frequently. Again, they denied everything until Kanye West confirmed that the two were madly in love with one another. Months after, Tyga admitted that Jenner captured his heart, yet all happy days have an end. They’ve had an on and off relationship since 2016, having breakup news a normal thing.

7. Justin Gaston

In 2008, American singer and model Justin Gaston and American singer and actress Miley Cyrus were five years apart when they had a thing for each other with Gaston being 20 and Cyrus was 15. Apparently, they started from being close friends. They can relate to each other because they have experienced the same hardships and overcome the same challenges. Both their families do not have an issue about the age gap because they have already established a friendship. “Whatever happens, happens,” they said. Yet, in 2009, they decided to call it quits. Reports state that it might have been due to the closeness of Jonas and Cyrus. Gaston was doubtful of their relationship then.

6. Doug Anthony Hutchison

American actor Doug Anthony Hutchison and country singer Courtney Hodden had one of the most controversial marriages that shocked the entertainment industry. In 2011, they were married in Las Vegas, Nevada, regardless of their 36 years age difference. Hutchison was 51 whereas Hodden was only 16. “But we’re very much in love and want to get the message out there that true love can be ageless,” Hutchison defended in an interview in 2011. However, true love can have an end too. In the early months of 2017, they called it quits because Hodden wanted to focus more on her career and the miscarriage she experienced affected them greatly.

5. Wilmer Valderrama

American actor and singer Wilmer Valderrama and American actress and singer Demi Lovato dated for nearly six years until 2016. Valderrama was already 35 when he courted Lovato who was only 17. Their strong friendship became the key for them to last a couple of years, yet it was also the reason why they broke up. Their relationship became more of a sibling type than a romantic type. They became too close that it just didn’t work out anymore. Being too comfortable might have been disturbing for the two. “He was very close to her family. I don’t expect that will change. There was a lot of love there,” a source reassured.

4. Sonny Bono

American singer Sonny Bono and goddess of pop Cherilyn “Cher” Sarkisian had an 11-year age gap. Bono was already 27 and Cher was only 16 when they started dating, but it resulted to a terrific musical duo. In 1965, they released the hit single entitled, “I Got You Babe”. Four years later, Cher gave birth to their only child named Chaz Bono. The lovebirds also had their own television called The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. Though, they divorced in 1975.

Despite being divorced, Cher shared the kind of husband Bono was when her ex-husband died in 1998. “He hurt me in so many ways, but there was something. He was so much more than a husband – a terrible husband, but a great mentor, a great teacher,” she said.

3. Milo Ventimiglia

The stars of the show called Heroes named Milo Ventimiglia and Hayden Panettiere were 29 and 17 when they met each other, respectively. A few months later, they became a thing. Though, the age gap might have been a disadvantage for the two since they had different priorities. For instance, Ventimiglia wanted to focus more on establishing his production company whereas Panettiere wanted to bloom in Hollywood. Apparently, Panettiere’s dream wasn’t Ventimiglia’s interest. “It was a lifestyle conflict,” a source stated. Because they couldn’t seem to fit in each other’s lives, they broke up after dating for more than a year.

2. Don Johnson

American actor and actress Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith were 8 years apart when they started dating. Johnson was 22 years old and Griffith was 16 years old. Rushing to get married in 1976, they lasted only for six months. Their relationship was a truly a rollercoaster ride because the said couple had no sense of commitment. After being a rehabilitated due to drug and alcohol abuse, she reunited with Johnson because she seemed to have needed him. They remarried again in 1989 and had their daughter named Dakota. Though, five years later, they separated, reconciled, and separated again in 1995.

1. Kobe Bryant

Los Angeles Lakers Star Player Kobe Bryant and American model Vanessa Cornejo first met in November 1999, when they were 21 and 17, respectively. After six months of dating, Bryant was already sure of Cornejo and decided to give her the world with a ring that costs $100,000. They got engaged in 2000 and married in 2001 without the full support of the family and friends of Bryant because of the sudden decision. Bryant and his parents only reconciled when he had his first child with Cornejo in 2003. They almost divorced in 2011, but they called it off in 2013 for the love of family. Truly, they possess one of the relationships that stood the test of time and hardships.