Ever since reports came out that Leonardo DiCaprio and his girlfriend of four years, actress Camila Morrone, broke up, the internet has been flooded with memes about the actor's love life. He has notoriously dated plenty of young models, and netizens have often made note of the fact that he appears to have not dated anyone, at least not publicly, above the age of twenty-five.
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Camila turned twenty-five on 16 June, right around when rumors of a break-up began to swirl, and now, as his relationships are under more scrutiny than ever, one of his former girlfriends is speaking out about it.
Writing an essay for People about her relationship with the star, Kristen Zang spoke against what she believes are "ageist" headlines and comments. "I'm a very private person, much like my ex-boyfriend," stated the former model and actress. "But this past week, for the first time, I have felt compelled to share a few things."
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Kristen and Leo met when they were both twenty-one, and dated from 1995 to 1999, and she said: "It was a different time back then. We could go places and not be followed by the paparazzi," also recalling that: "We were nerds. Good looking nerds with glamorous jobs, but still nerds."
Then she confessed: "We also had some hard times like all couples do, and broke up for a bit in 1997 and then got back together."
She even cheekily joked about the ironic timing of their break-up, writing: "Then, about 4 months after my 25th birthday (ha, I know what you're thinking) it was over for good," however, she revealed: "It was a choice I made. I don't know how to explain it exactly, I just felt like I was ready for our relationship to be done."
© Photo: Getty ImagesKristen was dating Leo while he made some of his biggest hits, including Titanic, Romeo and Juliet, and The Beach
Kristen explained she felt compelled to speak out after feeling that the conversation surrounding Leo's relationships and his girlfriend's ages were sending the wrong message. She stated: "Now over 20 years later when I read the headlines and online comments with his most recent ex-girlfriend being referred to as having 'aged out' or being 'too old for Leo at 25, puh-lease (insert dramatic eye roll). I think we can and should do better. What kind of message is this sending to young people?"
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She urged the younger generation: "Life gets so much better after 25. Yes, you get more wrinkles but you also get more confidence and more love for yourself."
© Photo: Getty ImagesDespite the intense scrutiny, the actor has always tried to maintain his relationships private
Finally, she wrote: "As far as Leo and his latest breakup, who knows what happened. Maybe she really cared for him but was just ready for the next chapter, perhaps it's temporary, or maybe it's none of our business but can we stop with the ageist headlines and comments?"
Though her message was certainly impactful, she couldn't not acknowledge the never-ending memes, of which she said: "But let's keep the funny memes coming, they're stellar. Truly."
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