Leonardo DiCaprio has reportedly struck up a new romance with model Eden Polani – but people can’t quite get over their age gap.
The Oscar-winning actor and environmentalist is 48, while Israeli model Eden is 19 years old.
She has now appeared to confirm their new relationship on Instagram, saying ‘we all have the right to fall in love’.
Leo’s dating history has been well-publicised, with the ages of his former love interests a hot topic of discussion for years.
His penchant for only dating women aged 25 or younger has become a meme, with one widely-circulated graph showing that his girlfriends stay the same age even as he grows older.
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The oldest woman Leo has ever been romantically linked to was Gigi Hadid – who was 27 at the time – but it’s understood they never actually dated.
His previous romances have included Blake Lively, Erin Heatherton, Kelly Rohrbach, and various other actors and models.
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Leo broke up with long-term girlfriend Camila Morrone just months after her 25th birthday. The same thing happened with his model ex, Bar Refaeli. Which could be a coincidence, but a pattern is definitely beginning to emerge.
Leonardo DiCaprio refuses to date a woman over 25. #dataviz
Leo’s latest rumoured girlfriend, the Israeli model Eden Polani, has pushed the age gap to a new extreme – she is just 19 years old.
Pictures of the pair at a party together sparked the new rumour (which she has now addressed), and Twitter has reacted in a big way.
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Several people have pointed out that the young beauty wasn’t even born yet when Leo had his big break on Titanic, which came out in 1998 (she was born in 2003).
Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic. Credit: Paramount Pictures
Others have questioned whether this latest rumoured romance is verging on ‘predatory’.
One person said: “Leonardo DiCaprio is nearly 50 and dating teenage girls. I’m sorry, but a 50 year old man that dates teenagers is a predator. Being a celebrity doesn’t exempt him from being a creep.”
Another said: “Stop making jokes about Leonardo DiCaprio being a almost 50 dating literal teenagers and start calling him what he is – a predator.”
Those jokes include tweets like this: “Leonardo DiCaprio’s girlfriend is so young her high school experience was interrupted by COVID 19.”
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Another was the below:
Dane Cook: I'm dating a 23 year old
Leonardo DiCaprio: hold my beer
Leonardo DiCaprio's girlfriend: I can't
— Mohanad – Union Hall NY 3/12 (@MohanadElshieky) February 7, 2023
Several others have pointed out that the age gap between Leonardo DiCaprio and Eden Polani is the same as Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, who are starring alongside one another in The Last Of Us.
It’s also the same as the difference between Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven) and David Harbour (Jim Hopper) in Stranger Things – who literally play adopted father and daughter.
Addressing the rumours that are swirling, Eden posted on her own Instagram stories overnight.
She shared a photo of herself clutching an enormous bunch of pink roses, taken on a balcony in Paris.
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She wrote: “I am not obliged to air my private life. We all have the right to fall in love. Exercise the right of love – Polani.”
Featured image: Instagram @edenpolaniii / Wikimedia Commons
TV & Showbiz
A new Shrek-themed cafe has opened at Primark in Manchester
Thomas Melia
There’s a new Shrek-themed cafe in Manchester city centre – and Donkey’s prayers for waffles have finally been answered by none other than clothing retailer Primark.
The back corner of the bargain fashion store on Market Street has been taken over by vines and fairytale characters as Shrek comes to town.
The cafe has been home to many iconic brands since its launch, one of the most notable being its 2019 debut as Central Perk, the go-to coffee hot-spot from TV Series Friends.
Shrek himself will also be paying a visit to the store in the coming weeks to sample some of the delicious delights customers can try such as nachos, waffles, shakes and bubble teas – each one with an ogre twist (yes, that is green cheese you see).
The Cafe is Shrek-ogeddon from head to toe with the menu paying homage to some familiar faces from the franchise.
Shoppers can indulge in ‘Fairy Godmother’s Potions’ which are a selection of sweet fruity concoctions, or treat your tastebuds to some Swampchos or Toastie ‘Slabs’, which are more appetising than they sound.
The grand entrance to the Shrek cafe in ManchesterA mural dedicated to the main ogre himself – Shrek!Inside the Shrek Cafe at Primark Credit: The Manc Group
After all those scrumptious snacks you’ll definitely be saying ‘I Need A Hero’ as you face your own battle – the dreaded food coma.
The Shrek Far Far Away Cafe will be a Manchester mainstay til the beginning of November, giving everyone the opportunity to have their happy ever after.
There’s also a handful of Shrek merchandise available storewide that fans and customers alike can get their hands on all-year-round.
Tim Kelly, director of new business development at Primark said: “We’ve gone Far, Far Away to find the inspiration for our latest cafe theme, bringing all the fun in the kingdom to our Primark cafes”.
“Our revolving themes have been so popular with our customers, giving them more reasons to visit their local store. We can’t wait to welcome fans to the cafes and hope they enjoy our limited-edition menu fit for a fairytale!”
And if that wasn’t enough to whet your appetite, fans of the iconic film franchise have just over two years to wait until Shrek 5 debuts in theatres on 1 July 2026.
You can visit the Shrek Cafe at Primark on Market Street and at the Trafford Centre in Manchester now.
Mancs wanted for new BBC adventure travel show with ‘life-changing’ prize
Emily Sergeant
Are you a fan of travelling? Got a bit of a competitive streak in your nature? This might just be your calling then.
The BBC is currently casting for a brand-new travel adventure series.
At this point, not a great deal is known about the new series, with a lot of the details seemingly being kept under wraps, but the broadcaster has revealed that the show currently has the working title of ‘Destination X’, and is being described as “the world’s biggest guessing game”.
The show’s producers, Twofour, are on the look-out for budding travel enthusiasts who love solving clues, playing detective, and outsmarting their competition.
Not only does the experience promise to be “an epic journey”, but there’s also the chance to win a life-changing prize.
Casting is closing towards the end of this week (6 September), and filming for the show is set to begin next month and run through to November.
Putting out a UK-wide casting call for the show on the BBC website, producers Twofour wrote: Have you got what it takes to play the world’s biggest guessing game? Twofour are now casting for the BBC’s brand new travel adventure series. If you love solving clues, playing detective and outsmarting your competition, then we want to hear from you.
“This experience promises to be an epic journey, with a chance to win a life-changing prize.”
Fancy it then? Applications for the exciting new series are now open for anyone over 18 years of age, with a deadline date of this Friday (6 September 2024), and you can find out more information and apply via the BBC website.