Now (gracefully and without drama) approaching 40 years of age, I am a full five years older than my childlike, plus-one-for-life, XFE. This causes much hilarity on his part. He loves to point out how old I am. He has recently taken to telling people that I’ll be 50 years old in March instead of 40. I’m pretty much immune to his sense of humor, so it really doesn’t bother me–I actually find it pretty funny myself, since he is clearly the more mature one in our relationship.
However, perhaps I should stop laughing with him and start watching my back.
According to this article in the UK’s Guardian last May, women who are seven to nine years older than their husbands have a 20% higher mortality rate than if they were the same age.
Thankfully, we’re not married and don’t intend to get married, so perhaps I’m safe. Also, I’m only five years older. So again, perhaps I’ve dodged an XFE bullet. I am curious why they chose seven to nine years as the age differences. What odd numbers.
I wonder what the authors of the Danish study mentioned in the Guardian would say about the mortality rate of someone who was 44 years older than her husband? Because from what I hear, it is not good news.
D.C. is currently being rocked by the story of the murder of a 91-year-old journalist and socialite by her 47-year-old husband. It happened in a very expensive, genteel neighborhood in DC known as Georgetown, and the victim, Viola Drath, was very well known and respected. The details that are emerging are pretty crazy.
This husband, a German who claimed to be an Iraqi general and apparently used the alias Count Albi, was unemployed, and receiving a $2000-a-month allowance from his wife. But apparently, that allowance had recently been reduced. AND police had been called to the house before for other instances of domestic violence, but Drath refused to cooperate and the cases were dropped.
Seriously dude? She was old! You couldn’t just wait it out? What the hell?
Anyway. I guess some older women/younger men situations work out though. Joan Collins, who’s 75, is married to a man 30 years younger than her and she seems happy. And Madonna just this week celebrated her 53rd birthday with a 24-year-old French break dancer (How is that even a job??). His mom, by the way, is 44 years old.
The two lovebirds met in September of last year at a launch party for the clothing line Madonna started with her 14-year-old daughter. Before the break dancer, Madonna was dating a 23-year-old Brazilian DJ, so she’s slowly creeping towards the age-acceptable category, right?
But my favorite recent story about an older woman and her younger man is the mighty eccentric Duchess of Alba who recently announced that she’s getting married at 85 to a civil servant who’s 25 years younger. This is the same woman who married an ex-priest back in the 70s, who was nine years younger than her.
Of course, with this new guy on the scene, her heirs got pissed, thinking this guy must be after the Duchess’ $4.9 billion fortune. They set about trying to stop the marriage, even trying to get the King of Spain involved. To shut them up and marry the man she loves, she made her will public. In it, she’s laid out exactly what each of her six heirs will receive upon her death. That seems to have shut them up and she’s planning on marrying her man in September.
It’s gotta be a love match because honestly, he’s fairly good looking and well, she’s a bit scary looking.
Good luck you crazy kids!