Age gap relationships: The taboo that simply won't die. They are often met with confusion, and at times, sexist misconceptions tied to being financially motivated – but does an age gap really matter and can it affect the longevity of a healthy relationship? The debate has once again been reignited following Al Pacino's news he is expecting a child with his 29-year-old girlfriend, Noor Alfallah. The Godfather actor is 83. It comes weeks after fellow Hollywood star Robert De Niro, 79, shared that, he too, is set to welcome a baby with his long-term partner, Tiffany Chen, 45. And of course, it would be rude not to mention the running joke around 48-year-old Leonardo DiCaprio's dating history, in which he seemingly cuts ties with partners as soon as they hit the age of 25. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Al Pacino's announcement certainly stirred up a divisive response online, with some calling the 54-year-old gap "gross" and inappropriate. "Love Al Pacino, but that's just gross and thoughtless to that child," one person wrote, while another added: "Al Pacino was one of my favourite actors of all time. But at 82 years of age, he shouldn’t be with a 29-year-old. It’s just wrong." A third joked: "Not in my lifetime, could anyone have told me that Al Pacino and Robert De Niro would be walking their infants they biologically conceived while on Medicare and cholesterol meds, through Central Park in 2024." Meanwhile, Emma Flint for The Independent believes we should all simply mind our own business and get on with our lives. "My partner is 33 years older than I am: he’s 65, to my 32. And I really couldn’t be happier," she wrote. She continued: "While I understand these concerns, I can’t help thinking we are still sticking our noses in other people's business. And it’s not fair. Isn’t it about time that we gave our censoriousness a rest?" While the never-ending debate continues, one of the most substantial studies into age gap relationships found "there is less marriage satisfaction or less relationship satisfaction in age gap relationships." The Marital Satisfaction of Differently Aged Couples revealed this resulted from the younger counterpart having "less resilience" when it comes to hard times. Paul Brunson, the world's most influential matchmaker best known for his role as a love doctor on Celebs Go Dating and Married at First Sight, explained: "You think about a physical setback, a financial setback, whatever it may be in the relationship – the younger person is less likely to be able to bounce back or manage it vs the older person." However, in some instances, "the younger person can learn from the older person to become more resilient, and the older person in the relationship can learn to open their level of understanding." Interestingly, satisfaction levels from those with a significant age difference are the highest out of the study with "sparks flying in the couple." Unfortunately, this is short-lived and eventually "fizzles out, before satisfaction plummets." According to the study, there is actually a perfect age gap between partners. "Typically, 0-3 years is considered the 'ideal' age gap, and when you look at marital satisfaction with couples rating the health of their marriage, the sex in their marriage and the outlook of their marriage, couples who typically have a 0-3 year age gap have the highest level of marital or relationship satisfaction." "The next run is a 4-6 year gap, they see less satisfaction – but there's still some. The couples who have 7+ years as a gap routinely show the lowest level of marital and relationship satisfaction." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Here’s what you need to know about the art of brining a turkey—including how long you should brine it.

Hugh Jackman, 54, and Deborra-Lee, 67, announced a surprise split in September

Candace Owens has said that if Logan Paul backs out then it will be difficult for Nina Agdal to get another man

This week’s new entertainment releases include albums from Kesha and Dave Matthews Band, while rapper Jack Harlow stars in a remake of “White Men Can’t Jump” and wilderness expert Bear Grylls tests contestants on their survival skills, physicality and gross-out tolerance with "I Survived Bear Grylls.”

Will and Jada Pinkett Smith officially started dating in 1995 and eventually tied the knot in 1997 after she got pregnant with her son Jaden Smith

As is often the case when you look back into history, there’s more than one possible answer. But one of the leading contenders has a fairly predictable culprit: the Puritans.

'I'm a Barbie girl is such a problematic song. You expect women to be so thin and plastic perfect?' wrote a user

Michael Caine credits his wife Shakira Baksh for his longevity

It’s that time of the year in Scandinavia when the wind turns colder, the days get shorter and academics in Stockholm and Oslo grab the world spotlight as they announce the winners of the Nobel Prizes

Kanye West divorced Kim Kardashian in 2022 and reportedly tied the knot with Bianca Censori in the same year

Birmingham funnyman Joe Lycett is now styling his way into the podcast industry, as he’s announced an audio series called Turdcast “all about toilet habits” carried out by famous celebrities, because of course he has. Lycett had previously ‘floated’ – sorry - the idea of a podcast in his stand-up (he tells indy100 it might have been mentioned during an episode of his Channel 4 chat show, Late Night Lycett), but on Friday he announced the series he has “dreamed about” is now very much a real thing. The podcast’s description on Spotify reads: “Joe has always been fascinated by the great leveller that is going to the toilet. From King Charles to Gary Barlow, we all need to jump to do a dump, flee to do a wee or grit to do a… well, you know – literally nobody is too hot to squat. “From bog standards to demon dumps, we all have a toilet story to tell and you’ll now get to hear them all in the number one (or number two) podcast from Mummy. Turdcast will reveal the side (underside?) of your favourite celebrities we don’t get to hear enough about, be it because of their shyness, modesty or downright self-disgust.” Lycett goes further in the trailer introducing the podcast, saying: “Famous people are just like you, and just like you, they sometimes find themselves experiencing a blissful quarter of an hour with a novel and a multipack of Cushelle, or flooring it down the M6 in a race against time to find a Welcome Break cubicle. “Let’s face it, most podcasts are celebrities talking s***, this is the one that makes it official.” Well, he’s not wrong. He’s even revealed his first guest as being none other than footballer turned Match of the Day host Gary Lineker, confirming the presenter tells the full story about “the infamous 1990 World Cup where he s*** himself on the pitch in front of millions of people”. Lovely. And the news is already making a splash (sorry again) with his followers, with BBC Radio 1 presenter Greg James simply writing “f*** sake” and former EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy commenting “yay”. One fan even suggested the alternative title of “Diarrhoea of a CEO”, in reference to the podcast helmed by Dragon’s Den entrepreneur Steven Bartlett. And Victorian Plumbing has offered to sponsor the podcast, because who else would be best placed to do it? When asked who his dream guest would be for the podcast when it comes to talking about all things poo, Lycett told indy100: “To be fair Lineker IS the dream guest. We’ve peaked! “And maybe Dr Giulia Enders who wrote ‘Gut’.” It's not the first time that Lycett has dabbled in toilet humour, as he created a Brexit urinal last year to "celebrate the success" of the controversial vote, and said the phrase "I've got a smelly bum bum" during a House of Lords evidence session. Turdcast’s first episode will be released at 9am next Friday (November 24), and comes just weeks after Lycett went viral for responding to Suella Braverman’s comments on homelessness by sharing a photo of potpourri and raising more than £50,000 for the charity Crisis. We do not deserve you, Joe. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.