You’d think people would be used to celebrities not conforming to social norms where dating and relationships are concerned. But alas, people had plenty to say recently when Richard Gere and his wife, Alejandra Silva, stepped out for the Cannes Film Festival.
Unusually large age-gaps are a topic of controversy that differs from person to person. What some people are completely okay with, others find inappropriate, and there really is no black and white answer so long as both parties are above the legal age of consent.
In any case, those celebrities who end up falling in love with people many years their junior (or senior) can expect a degree of heat from fans more often than not. Just ask Leonardo Di Caprio, whose habit of dating women sometimes decades younger than he is has become the stuff of internet legend.
Nonetheless, we felt a definite pang of sympathy for Richard Gere and Alejandra Silva after their appearance at Cannes Film Festival earlier this month.
That the pair are unconventional regarding the age-gap they share – Gere is 74, Silva just 41 – is no secret. Yet when they hit the red carpet at Cannes for Gere’s latest movie, Oh, Canada, it was as if swathes of online users had never seen them before.
The couple cut a sweet image at the event, having absolutely no problem in engaging in public displays of affection as they posed for photos.
Gere opted for a timeless black tuxedo, while his wife donned a long back dress with pink floral designs on the front.
Cue comments from people online, some of whom couldn’t help but point out the respective ages of the pair.
“She looks like his daughter!!!” one person wrote on Facebook. “I can’t imagine my husband with a woman his daughter’s age—pretty gross!!”
A second added: “An observation-IMO— lot of these older actors have Leonard DiCaprio disease….?“
A third person wrote: “A 33 year age difference. 
Her and Melania T must be in the same gold digggin club. — Very sad.”
Over on Instagram, someone else opined: “She don’t look too happy though! I mean her face said all.”
“It’s showing. She’s bored out of her mind,” said another.
Another added simply: “Looks like his granddaughter.”
Gere and Silva have been married for six years now, and by all accounts appear to be just as much in love as they ever have been. The couple share two sons together, the youngest of whom was born in 2020.
In April, Richard spoke with Vanity Fair Spain, sharing how his family rarely watches new movies.
“The truth is we don’t go out much. We have three small children. An 11-year-old, a 5-year-old, and a 4-year-old,” he told Vanity Fair.
What do you think to the relationship between Richard Gere and Alejandra Silva? Let us know your thoughts in the comments box.