I’m a 72-year-old woman and I like to date men in their 20s and 30s

A 72-year-old woman has revealed that she started getting a lot of advances from younger men after joining a cougar dating app.

When Kelly Howard – whose real name is hidden for privacy reasons – moved from California to New Jersey, she wanted to add some excitement to her life, so she started looking for a companion in a very modern way.

She then found an app called Cougar lifeallowing younger people to meet older women.

Five years later, Kelly receives messages from about 10 to 20 men every day, and while some act as her pen pals, others become great dates.

She said Insider that a first date would usually involve grabbing a drink, but occasionally sneaking into their hotel rooms to stay the night.

“We spent the night together and it was like, ‘Oh my God,'” she said of a man she drove over an hour to meet.

Kelly revealed that she’s even made a few meaningful connections on her dating app journey.

She and a man – who is in his late twenties – have been messaging back and forth for five years, but they had never met because he lived in Vancouver.

At first, Kelly didn’t even believe he was real because of how “incredibly handsome” he was.

She revealed that she had him video call and hold up an orange balloon to prove he was real.

Five years later, the pair are super close and tell each other everything.

Kelly said she preferred to date younger men than men her age because they were more open to change.

Kelly said she preferred dating younger men than men her age because they were more open to change (stock image)

She explained that younger men “don’t have that attitude,” adding that it’s “refreshing.”

Kelly said she was always taught as a child that women should “please the man,” so she felt like she could finally put herself first.

And she’s not the only older woman looking for younger men in the dating pool.

Cougar Life senior communications director Isabella Mise told the outlet that 15 percent of the app’s users are 50 and older.

“They’re still looking for connection, love, physical intimacy, and I think online dating might be a way for them to expand their dating pool,” she said.

Cougar life quotes a 2003 American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) survey found that 34 percent of women wanted to date younger men.

Results were taken from a pool of men and women between the ages of 40 and 69.

A cougar known as Annette Wheeler, then 60, told the story AARP that she was looking for younger men because they suited her ‘energetic lifestyle’ better.

“I can’t explain why… without even knowing a person’s age, you can be sure I’ll be attracted to the younger guy,” she said.

And I don’t know if it’s a function of I’m attracted to younger guys or younger guys are attracted to me. It’s just their energy, their enthusiasm and – the biggie – “less baggage.”‘