Peter Andre, 51 – whose wife Emily is 34 – defends age gap romances after Kym Marsh, 48, clapped back at trolls over criticism for dating a 29-year-old

Peter Andre defended age-gap romances in Tuesday’s episode of Lorraine on ITV.

The 51-year-old singer and TV personality – whose doctor wife Emily is 34 – said that while you may have different tastes in music as a couple, it’s all about “how you treat each other.”

This comes after Kym Marsh had to defend her new relationship after going public with her new boyfriend Samuel Thomas, 29, who is the same age as her son.

Peter joked about his own age difference in the daily program: ‘There are small differences – music is one of the things that stands out to me.

‘You know, when they say something like ‘ah, this is an old classic,’ and it’s from 2015. What do you mean by an old classic?

‘We think the seventies and eighties are old classics. But no, it’s how you treat each other. [that matters].

Emily shares Amelia (10), Theo (7) and their newest addition Arabella (3 months) with her husband Peter, whom she married in 2015.

This came after Kym had to defend her new relationship on Sunday night after cynical followers on Instagram criticized the actress for dating someone the same age as her son.

The mother of three had previously confirmed her romance with actor Samuel, a co-star in her touring production of 101 Dalmatians, in a social media post.

Thomas, 29, who she calls “the most amazing man ever,” is the same age as her eldest child, David Cunliffe.

And Instagram followers were quick to spot the connection after Kym announced her latest romance by describing Thomas as her “soulmate.”

An unimpressed follower captioned the post: ‘Jesus… Another amazing man… Five minutes of wonder… He looks like your son.’

A second added: ‘He looks like your son! Kym I like you but keep it private.’

The angry actress, whose third marriage ended in divorce 13 months ago, responded angrily to the messages: ‘Do one.’

New friend Thomas – who plays the beleaguered Tom in 101 Dalmatians – also weighed in, adding: “I wonder what’s missing in your life that you have to comment on other people. It’s really sad.”

Just hours earlier, Kym had revealed that she had found love with her young co-star, her first serious romance since the collapse of her third marriage just over a year ago.

“The most amazing man ever met! Sometimes the most unexpected things happen at the most unexpected times. @samuelthomasuk I love you,” she captioned a photo of herself and Thomas.

Thomas shared a black-and-white photo on his own Instagram account, writing: “I wasn’t expecting you but here you are. I love you.”

“Ditto. The best things happen unexpectedly. Love you too,” Kym replied.

The actress is the mother of son David, 29, and daughter Emilie, 27, from a previous relationship with contractor David Cunliffe.

The couple, who met in a pub in Lancashire, split in 1999, shortly before Kym shot to fame as a contestant on TV talent show Popstars, where she went on to form the short-lived pop group Hear’Say.

Two years later, Kym appeared on Top Of The Pops, where she met actor Jack Ryder, a household name at the time thanks to his role as Jamie Mitchell in EastEnders.

They married in August 2002 at St Albans Parish Church in Hertford and subsequently sold the photographs to OK! magazine for a reported £300,000.

But seven years later, it was all over when Ryder filed for divorce on grounds of adultery following her apparent affair with her second husband Jamie Lomas.

Friends initially feared that Kym had rushed into a relationship with Lomas, whom she began dating four months after her split from Ryder.

The couple met on a train en route to the 2007 TV Quick Awards. A casual chat quickly turned into a romance, and in 2008, a year before her divorce, the two went public with their relationship.

They had been together for less than two months when Kym became pregnant with their first child, until tragedy struck when their son Archie Jay passed away shortly after being born 18 weeks premature on February 11.

The couple had happy news when they welcomed daughter Polly in March 2011.

They tied the knot in September 2012, but divorced in 2014. Kym was reportedly shocked by Lomas’ decision to end the relationship.

In 2021, she remarried for the third time to Scott Ratcliff.

The couple split 13 months after their wedding, when Kym filed for divorce on grounds of unreasonable behaviour.

The couple reportedly split after a trial separation because their work kept them apart.

A source said The sun: ‘They both really tried hard to make it work, but the cracks had been there for a while and they only saw each other once or twice a week at most.

‘Kym has been so busy, and last year (when she was on Strictly Come Dancing) even her weekends were jammed with rehearsal days during the week. Lately she’s been filming everywhere and rehearsing for a new theatre show.’

The insider said of how Army Major Ratcliff’s work drove a wedge between him and Kym: ‘Scott is stationed in a barracks down south – he also has a very busy career. Kym is also still a working mother and lives in Cheshire with her family.

‘Ultimately, it was the fact that they lived so far apart that made it impossible.’

The source said the couple had been “having a trial separation” and were “hoping to get things back on track,” but added that they have decided “it’s best to go our separate ways.”