A 21-year-old British influencer has defended her relationship with a 16-year-old boy after she faced backlash over their five-year age gap.
Tasha Newcombe recently went public with her new boyfriend Marko Vituk on social media, but after detailing her dating life to her almost 270,000 followers, many called the relationship “crazy”, noting that she is grown up while he is a “minor”.
After insisting she’s not bothered by the anger she’s facing on TikTok, Tasha has since appeared on The Blue Tick Show alongside Marko where the pair hit back at claims their relationship was “wrong”.
“I’m in a relationship with someone who’s five years younger than me and I know a lot of people are going to have their opinions about that and rightfully so, you’re allowed to have your opinions, that’s your free will, she said. on the popular YouTube podcast hosted by Mikey Melin.
“Although my relationship is very new, I just have to say that this guy is truly the most mature, kind and loving person I’ve ever been in a relationship with.
“I will not stand for hate, directed at me, my friends or my family.”
She also went on to explain how the pair first met after initially talking online, stating that she had no intention of pursuing the teenager.
“I had told Marko that I would go out to eat with him, I didn’t see it as a date or anything,” explained Tasha.
“I was also insecure about meeting him because I’ve never really met anyone younger than me in my life.
“I didn’t know what kind of challenges it would bring for me, but despite that, I’m now in a relationship with him.
“It’s my life, I’m going to live my life the way I want to live my life. If I decide I want to be in a relationship with him, I can because it’s legal. Whether you think it’s morally right or not, it’s legal.”
Many of the “haters” who reacted to the new couple’s news were outraged by their age difference, with some asking: “Is this legit?”
The legal age for consensual sex ranges from 16 to 17 in all Australian state and territory jurisdictions. In the UK, the legal age of consent is 16.
It did little to quell the backlash, with many criticizing Tasha for being romantically involved with a teenage boy.
“He’s just finished his school exams,” commented one.
“So you should ask his mom if he can go out,” joked another.
Someone else argued that if it was the other way around, people wouldn’t be able to “ignore it”, describing the situation as “crazy”.
But Tasha said the judgmental comments don’t bother her or Marco, saying people should just unfollow or hit the block button if they don’t want to see it.
“Is it affecting your life? No. “My boyfriend and I are in a very beautiful, loving, happy and healthy relationship and the fact that people are sitting there worried and making such serious accusations against me is sick and twisted,” she said.
However, she also revealed that it wasn’t just online strangers who had condemned her romance, as her best friend of 11 years wasn’t happy about her new beau either.
“I completely lost my best friend because I was with Marco,” she told the podcast.
“She said, ‘I just can’t hang out with you,’ and I told her I didn’t care.
“But yeah, it totally cut me off. It’s kind of small.”
These comments however only sparked further criticism of her and Marko’s romance, with one writing: “How can she not see it’s wrong when her friends are cutting her off too.”
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