Dakota Fanning is dating a man who is thirteen years older than her and is often criticized for her relationship with him. Fanning and her boyfriend, British model Jamie Strachan, have been dating for a while but Fanning has refused to talk about the relationship until now.

“I’m super-happy,” Fanning told British newspaper 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 said that she is aware that people are not comfortable with the age gap between her and her boyfriend but she doesn’t care.

“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.”

Fanning said that she has always wanted a relationship and love like her parents share.

“I’ve seen how wonderful it is to have parents who have experienced pretty much everything together,” she said.

Dakota Fanning was spotted holding hands with her new older boyfriend http://t.co/EXWeMWx4uR

— HuffPost Celebrity (@HuffPostCeleb) September 5, 2013

Before Fanning started dating Strachan she said that she didn’t have any desire to date or waste her time with someone if she didn’t think it would lead to more than just dating.

“I don’t really date,” she said. “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. 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.”

Fanning must see something special in Strachan if she is willing to break her own dating rules for him.