Melanie Sykes has revealed that she thinks it’s “normal” for 48-year-old Leonardo DiCaprio to only date women under 25.
The TV star, 52, also shared how she prefers younger men because they can match her energy.
Last year, Mel ended her romance with Venetian gondolier Riccardo Simionato, who was 22 while she was 50.
Before that, she had been married to Jack Cockings, who was 16 years her junior, and she was also in a relationship with German golf pro Martin Kaymer, who was 14 years her junior.
Speaking on Tuesday on The Shift, a podcast for women over 40, she defended Leo by saying it was normal for him to only have younger partners.
Opinions: Melanie Sykes, 52, has revealed she thinks it’s ‘normal’ for Leonardo DiCaprio, 48, to only date women under 25 (pictured kissing ex-fling with Riccardo Simionato, a 22-year-old Venetian gondolier)
Her Say: On Tuesday, she spoke on The Shift, a podcast for women over 40, and defended Leo by saying it was normal for him to only have younger partners (Leo was pictured at Coachella last month with a group of women)
Romance: Last year, Mel ended her romance with Venetian gondolier Riccardo, who was 22 while she was 50
She said, ‘He’s got a type. He likes them that age.’
Leo dated model and actress Camila Morrone for five years, but they broke up last August, just a month after she turned 25.
Ex-girlfriends Nina Agdal, Kelly Rohrbach and Toni Garrn were also all under 25 when Leo dated them.
Melanie then added of her own experience, “It got to a point where I had some boyfriends who were 27. So what? I like the energy of a certain age.
“It’s very rare to meet a man my age with the energy I have. And I don’t mean for marathon sex sessions, I mean like life.”
Elsewhere in the podcast, she revealed that she avoided sex for a year after using it as a “Band-Aid” to deal with issues in her relationships.
The former model also spoke of having a string of toyboy lovers, saying her libido remains “high” despite a period of celibacy.
“I have been written off as a predator to young men.
Speaking: Melanie then added of her own experience, “It got to a point where I had some boyfriends who were 27. So what? I like the energy of a certain age’
Ex: The TV star has two children with her first husband, actor Daniel Caltagirone (pictured together in 2016)
‘I have no age, I’m just full of life. And I meet feisty people that I want to hang out with, while it feels good.
“If not, I’ll be spinning with someone else.”
The TV star, who has two children with her first husband, actor Daniel Caltagirone, said she’s found more “respect” for herself after going through a period of celibacy.
“I’ve always had a high libido,” she said. ‘Because I wanted to have sex with someone, I did. But it wasn’t necessarily good for me, or they weren’t particularly nice people.
“But if you’re driven by your libido, which men are notorious for and women not so much – which I think is bull****, because I think a lot of women sometimes just want to have sex and there’s nothing wrong with that – but I also realized I needed a connection.
“It’s like putting a Band-Aid on something. If you can resolve an argument with a great sex session, it doesn’t mean the problem is gone.
“And I thought if I pull out the sex, then I can just avoid the trouble.
Past love: She also dated German golf pro Martin Kaymer, who was 14 years her junior (pictured together at Wimbledon in 2019)
So I just avoided it. And after a year I had so much more understanding and respect for myself.
“I will never again have sex with someone who is not my equal. It’s that simple, because I don’t like casual sex. I’ve tried it, I don’t like it.
“But it doesn’t stop me from having sex because that’s just me being a full-on.” .
Melanie, who also revealed she’s “turned on by smart women,” was on the podcast to promote the release of her autobiography, Illuminated: Autism & All The Things I’ve Left Unsaid.