AGE is just a number for Madonna, who has gone Instagram official with her new younger man after sharing a bizarre photo of them kissing in balaclavas.
At 29, boxer Josh Popper is the latest in a long line of toyboys that the 64-year-old singer has dated, and he comes after her split from 28-year-old Ahlamalik Williams last April after three years.
But Madonna is not the only woman who prefers men less than half her age.
Referring to a sexual encounter with someone younger, actress Jennifer Coolidge called him “the best I ever had”.
And in a tweet which was later deleted, Cher, 76 – who has been dating 37-year-old Alexander Edwards for four months – declared that “love doesn’t know math”.
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It raises the question: Do younger men tick all the boxes when it comes to finding the perfect partner? Or is a man with more experience better?
Claire Dunwell and Jenny Paul talk to three women who have dated men of all ages reveal which they think make the best partners, and why.
‘I LOVED THE SPARK OF YOUTH’
DONNA, 48 — her ideal lover is aged 29
LIKE Madonna, Donna Lambert loves a younger man, and she reckons 29-year-old men make the best lovers.
Donna, who is single, owns a dog-walking business and lives in Ongar, Essex, says: “I was 43 when I had a four-year relationship with a 29-year-old. His name was Dean* and we met in a bar.
“It gave me a real confidence boost, as he was so vibrant and fun to be with.
“He’d surprise me with flowers and was always giving me compliments.
“Six months earlier, I’d come out of a 17-year relationship with someone three years older than me, and that relationship had become stale and boring.
“It was lovely to be lavished with attention instead of being taken for granted.
“We’d been together for three months when I met Dean’s parents for the first time.
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“I felt anxious because of what they might think of the age difference between me and their son.
“Surprisingly, they were really welcoming and kind.
“My friends all loved Dean and welcomed him into our circle – he fitted in perfectly.
“With Dean, it didn’t feel like there was an age gap at all.
“We were on the same level emotionally and sexually, it was a real equal partnership.
“I never once felt old when I was with him. In fact, I felt younger by being with him.
“We got along really well, and went on holidays together and enjoyed eating in nice restaurants on date nights.
“I led the way in the bedroom and he was eager to learn. I enjoyed being the teacher and we had lots of fun together.
“He was a great lover and sex was both fun and relaxed. He had bags of stamina and would try new things all the time.
“We had a spark and chemistry that gave the relationship something extra but he was loving, too, which was the perfect balance.
“Every aspect of the relationship was perfect, except one thing – he wanted children and I didn’t.
“The relationship ran its course and after four years together we ended things amicably.
“Since then I have dated men who were 38 and 42 but nobody has quite matched up to the 29-year-old.
“He had an easy-going nature and sense of fun that nobody else has had.
“I’ve found that by their late thirties and forties, the majority of men have their minds set on the big things like their career or having children.
“It makes things complicated and I don’t want that in a relationship.
“I would love to find another man in his late twenties.
“I don’t need to be showered with gifts or taken to fancy restaurants. I want to be spoiled and spend my time with a young, good-looking guy on my arm.
“At 29, men haven’t got the weight of the world on their shoulders – they’re focused on making you smile.”
- Dean's name has been changed
‘NICE ’N’ SLOW’S WAY TO GO’
SAMANTHA JAYNE, 51 — men in their 50s
SAMANTHA JAYNE reckons men in their fifties are in the prime of their lives.
The spiritual coach, who lives in Swindon, is currently in a relationship with a man the same age, 51-year-old plumber Lee, and says: “Younger men simply don’t know what they’re doing in bed.
“I’ve dated younger men aged 30, 32 and 35 over the past few years, and I felt like I was their finishing school for sex.
“Men in their fifties know what they’re doing, whereas with younger men you have to guide and teach them.
“I don’t want sex to be a series of commands and giving instructions, I’d much rather be with someone who already knows their way around a woman’s body.
“Younger men tend to be in a rush, and you have to slow them down. They don’t take their time to explore.
“Once they hit their forties they may have more experience but they get stressed by life and drag you down with them.
“I joke it’s the ‘manopause decade’, when you have to put a man on pause.
“You need to wait until they have worked through the issues that their forties throw up.
“Once they’re over those, they become fun and confident again.
“I often think that men in their thirties are a bit like puppies. It’s unattractive.
“Then in their forties their bodies go through massive changes and they lose their confidence.
“An older man is the key to having a really fulfilling relationship.
“Once they’re in their fifties they come bouncing back and they enjoy spending time with you and they’re not afraid of intimacy. That’s what I want.
“I want them to be loving and to spend time with me. They know what they’re doing in bed, how to make a woman orgasm and how to make sex last.
“My current partner is the same age as me and things couldn’t be better.
“Dating someone my own age has been a revelation as we both want the same things.
“We have only been together a few months and it already feels like years.
“He knows that love and attention are the two things needed in a relationship.
“Like other men in their sixth decade, he gives that bit more.
“If it makes a woman happy dating a far younger man, great – it’s just not for me.”
‘SHINY CAR BEATS OLD BANGER’
EMMA, 46 — her magic number is 36
EMMA STARRS reckons men in their fifties are no match for those in their thirties, and 36 is the magic number.
Emma, who works in PR and lives in Manchester, says: “Only recently I dated a man for eight months and, despite it being a long-distance relationship, it’s undoubtedly one of the best I’ve ever had.
“We lived in different parts of the country and neither of us felt ready to relocate and move in together.
“We met on an online dating app and despite the distance we decided to give it a go.
“We only saw one another twice a month but when we were together, it was easy and never dull.
“I go to the gym four times a week and have a lot of energy.
“He matched my stamina and although he could perform in the bedroom multiple times in the same night, he was still in tune with my wants and desires.
“I didn’t have to teach him a thing, and I was blown away by his physique.
“Out of the bedroom, he was brilliant fun too, and we liked the same music and movies so we had a lot in common.
“When he told me he wanted to end it between us because he’d reconnected with a childhood sweetheart, I accepted it.
“It was never going to work long-term because of the distance between us.
“I draw a line at dating anyone younger than 30 because spending time with someone who is in their twenties doesn’t appeal.
“I need someone who can hold adult conversations on dates.
“But I’d choose a man in his thirties rather than fifties every time.
“I have dated men in their fifties and compared with someone in their mid-thirties they were really disappointing and a real let-down.
“They were over-confident despite being unfit, and they just aren’t that great in bed.
“One man I was in a relationship with was 52, and arrogant, and he didn’t have the stamina or the physical appeal to back it up either.
“Another who was 50 struggled to last the distance in the bedroom, which was disappointing, and lots of men in this decade have let themselves go.
“Younger men are where it’s at. They’re open-minded, fun and don’t snore. They’re the shiny car – not the old banger.”