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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Lisa McLoughlin

Helena Bonham Carter jokes about 21-year age gap with boyfriend: ‘we say I’m siphoning off his youth’

Helena Bonham Carter, 56, jokes about 21-year age gap with boyfriend Rye Dag Holmboe

(Picture: Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Helena Bonham Carter has addressed the 21-year age gap between her and her boyfriend Rye Dag Holmboe, revealing that they joke about it regularly.

The actress, 56, began dating the 35-year-old art historian in 2018 and has said that her other half is an “old soul in a young body”.

“There are people I’ve been involved with who aren’t necessarily their age, maturity wise, whereas [Rye] is ageless,” she told The Sunday Times, before joking: “his eyesight is going, so we say I’m siphoning off his youth at night.”

Discussing how Cher was forced to defend her relationship with Alexander Edwards, who is 40 years her junior, the Harry Potter star said: “Good on men for appreciating different kinds of beauty and finding other things sexy.

“Collagen is not the only form of sexiness; there’s character, fun, mischief and humour. As long as you’ve got the laughter, the intimacy will be there.”

The Crown actor has been dating the academic for four years following her split from film director Tim Burton in 2014.

Previously, Bonham Carter spoke about how she met her now partner, who she lives with, after a chance meeting at a friend’s party.

She told The Guardian: “A totally random thing, which both of us nearly didn’t go to, so it was one of those moments that was so chance and ended up determining so much.

“A really happy accident, and it’s an amazing thing.”

The film star was previously in a relationship with Burton for 13 years. The couple share children Billy, 18, and Nell, 14.

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