Andreas Kronthaler, the husband of British fashion's grande dame Vivienne Westwood, has given a rare insight into their successful and unconventional 16-year marriage declaring: "We are inseparable".
Speaking of his long-standing partnership with the 67-year-old style maven Austrian-born Andreas says: "She is my life and my love, and I can barely remember the days when I was simply Andreas from Austria".
Vivienne met her future husband when he was a 25-year-old student and she was a 48-year-old professor of fashion in Vienna. She was reportedly so impressed with his designs she hired him on the spot. The couple wed in secret at Wandsworth registry office in 1992.
Referring to the 25-year age gap, Andreas says: "Vivienne is older than me, but it doesn’t manifest itself in any way."
"We bicycle everywhere together. Yesterday we cycled from Camden to Wandsworth and she didn’t get tired at all. I've always thought beauty increases with age," he adds.
Vivienne is equally happy in the relationship. "I have never been more sure of anybody in my life than Andreas," she has said in the past.