# What's the greatest age difference you've had in a romantic relationship? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 15, 2006, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-age-difference-youve-had-in-a-romantic-relationship/360877 "2006-06-15T23:32:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-age-difference-youve-had-in-a-romantic-relationship/360877/41 "2006-06-16T14:58:09Z")
Straight male, currently 57. The biggest age difference for me is 12 years, both ways. When I was 30, I had an affair with a 42 year old woman. About six months later, I had an affair with an 18 year old woman. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-age-difference-youve-had-in-a-romantic-relationship/360877/42 "2006-06-16T15:04:47Z")
[QUOTE=Dung Beetle] Straight female. My first husband and I got married when I was 25 and he was 49. **My second and final husband** and I got married a few months ago; I’m 35 and he just turned 54. [/QUOTE] Ha! I love this. It goes nicely with what MY husband always says, that I’m his “first wife.” He only says it so I’ll interject with, “:mad: ONLY wife!!:mad:” Hee hee 🙂 Oh, and he’s 54 and I’m 42. ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-age-difference-youve-had-in-a-romantic-relationship/360877/43 "2006-06-16T15:05:49Z")
Straight male. I was 38, she had just turned 22. Three month romance that ended badly. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-age-difference-youve-had-in-a-romantic-relationship/360877/44 "2006-06-16T15:16:39Z")
When I was 38, I dated a woman who was 21. I never knew her age until we had been together a while. She was “mature” for her age and I thought she was around my age (I am bad at telling a person’s age). Until a friend asked me if the girl’s mom was available. In retrospect, she did all she could to hide her age from me, as she suspected I’d freak (and I did). If she had her driver’s license out and I asked to see it, she would go on and on about how bad the pic was, for example. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-age-difference-youve-had-in-a-romantic-relationship/360877/45 "2006-06-16T15:21:59Z")
Gay male. at 20 I was dating and living with a 35 year old. so there’s 15 years. as far as hookups…closer to 30 years. I was in my early 20’s and had a one night stand with a guy that was around 55. He looked and acted much younger, I was surprised when I found out his actual age. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-age-difference-youve-had-in-a-romantic-relationship/360877/46 "2006-06-16T15:22:25Z")
Straight female. My fiance is 43, I’m 30. That’s the biggest age gap there’s been for me, but I’ve always liked older men. ---
**Author:** ![Tupug\_Anachi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@Tupug\_Anachi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tupug_Anachi)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-age-difference-youve-had-in-a-romantic-relationship/360877/47 "2006-06-16T15:25:18Z")
Mr. Anachi is nine years younger than I am. We’ve been married for nearly sixteen years. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-age-difference-youve-had-in-a-romantic-relationship/360877/48 "2006-06-16T16:09:24Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Mudd] a stupid hook-up a few weeks ago with a twenty-year-old. (I’m thirty-five now.) [/QUOTE] Go, **Larry**! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-age-difference-youve-had-in-a-romantic-relationship/360877/49 "2006-06-16T16:09:26Z")
I’m a straight male, 46, and I’ve dated two women who were around ten years older than me, both when I was in my twenties. When I was 39, I had a brief affair with a 20 year old that I met at a swing party. Karma maybe? ---
**Author:** ![stretch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@stretch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stretch)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-age-difference-youve-had-in-a-romantic-relationship/360877/50 "2006-06-16T16:57:54Z")
Straight female, 39. The largest age difference was 15 years; I was 19, he was 34. We were together 4 years. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-age-difference-youve-had-in-a-romantic-relationship/360877/51 "2006-06-16T17:25:14Z")
I’m straight, female, 40. Greatest difference - I ran away from home at 16 with a guy who was 32. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-age-difference-youve-had-in-a-romantic-relationship/360877/52 "2006-06-16T20:25:21Z")
I can’t claim more than a handful of years (5 tops), but I’m obliged to mention my parents, who were 40 years apart and stayed married for 30+ years until my dad died in his 90s. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-age-difference-youve-had-in-a-romantic-relationship/360877/53 "2006-06-16T22:15:33Z")
Straight female, currently 23. It’s funny; my first instinct was to post about my ex. At the time, he was 15, and I was 18. Then I realized that, as I am 23, and my husband will be turning 29 in September, that I have a larger age difference with him. When we met, I was 19, and he was about to turn 25. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-age-difference-youve-had-in-a-romantic-relationship/360877/54 "2006-06-16T22:17:30Z")
36 year difference. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-age-difference-youve-had-in-a-romantic-relationship/360877/55 "2006-06-17T03:53:06Z")
My first serious relationship was when I was in graduate school. She was 8 1/2 years older and three-time divorced. She was also manic-depressive (mostly depressive) and had serious anger issues. I guess the fact that she channeled all that into sex worthy of Penthouse Forum kept me around for over 2 1/2 years. Right now I am married to a girl 5 1/2 years older than me, but she looks 10-15 years younger. (She still gets carded at 43!). But she’s Korean and super-attractive, and I think that cross-cultural age determination is a bit more difficult. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-age-difference-youve-had-in-a-romantic-relationship/360877/56 "2006-06-17T04:07:55Z")
[QUOTE=Sattua] 36 year difference. [/QUOTE] Wow. I don’t mean to pry, but… I do mean to pry. Any more detail? Please? ---
**Author:** ![Corrvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bbce88/32.png) [@Corrvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corrvin)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-age-difference-youve-had-in-a-romantic-relationship/360877/57 "2006-06-17T10:20:01Z")
[QUOTE=ArchiveGuy] I can’t claim more than a handful of years (5 tops), but I’m obliged to mention my parents, who were 40 years apart and stayed married for 30+ years until my dad died in his 90s. [/QUOTE] Awwww! My great-grandfather’s 3rd wife was 38 years his junior, and they were happily married for over a decade until he passed. As for me, I’m seeing a wonderful straight guy who’s 49 (50 in Feb) to my 31 (32 in November). ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-age-difference-youve-had-in-a-romantic-relationship/360877/58 "2006-06-17T13:20:48Z")
Straight guy, 38. A beautiful lady aged 18 lived with me for 3 years and then left for greener pastures. Must have been my original charm, charisma and modesty that she fell for 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-age-difference-youve-had-in-a-romantic-relationship/360877/59 "2006-06-17T14:42:49Z")
[QUOTE=Corrvin] As for me, I’m seeing a wonderful straight guy who’s 49 (50 in Feb) to my 31 (32 in November). [/QUOTE] I’ll be 35 in a few months, and my best friend just turned 48: I told him that when he hits 50, we can’t be friends until I hit 40 ('cause I can’t be in my 30s with a best friend in his 50s). His wife is a year younger than him, so there will be 3 years where I’m just friends with his wife and their (now 4-year-old) son, and 2 years where I’m just friends with their son. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ensign\_Edison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ab992/32.png) [@Ensign\_Edison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ensign_Edison)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-age-difference-youve-had-in-a-romantic-relationship/360877/60 "2006-06-17T14:47:56Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Mudd] Wow. I don’t mean to pry, but… I do mean to pry. Any more detail? Please? [/QUOTE] I second this request minus zero no limit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-age-difference-youve-had-in-a-romantic-relationship/360877.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-age-difference-youve-had-in-a-romantic-relationship/360877.md?page=4)