Dakota Fanning Defends Older Boyfriend, Says ‘People Love Who They Love’

Dakota Fanning doesn’t have a problem with dating a man more than a decade older than her, and doesn’t think anyone else should either.

The 20-year-old actress recently opened up about her relationship with Jamie Strachan, a 33-year-old male model. Fanning said she actually thinks dating an older man has its advantages.

“I’m super-happy,” Dakota Fanning told the UK’s The Times. “I think love is very important and it’s really fun to have someone to experience things with. It makes everything a bit more special.”

Fanning added that she doesn’t set boundaries for herself when it comes to romance, and doesn’t think others should either.

“People love who they love and you go with that,” she said. “People get so stuck in rules for life. You go with what feels right.”

Though Dakota Fanning and Jamie Strachan have only been officially dating for a few months now, the pair have been linked together for much longer. Strachan, a British model, had been seen with Dakota in New York City since even before she turned 18.

Jamie was the first real boyfriend for Dakota, who not long before going public with Strachan said she wasn’t big on dating.

“I don’t really date,” Fanning told the Glamour in March. “I have a weird vision of relationships because my parents have known each other since second grade, and they got married right out of college. I’ve always thought that’s what it’s supposed to be like, and if it’s not, then I don’t want to waste my time on it.”

She continued, “Even when I was 14, I was like, ‘I’m not gonna marry this person. What’s the point of doing it?’ It’s not me being naive. I just know what it’s supposed to be like. And I think until I feel that, I cannot be bothered.”

Apparently, Dakota Fanning can be bothered when it’s one of the top male models in the world.

[Dakota Fanning image via E! Online]