‘Will Not Stand For Hate’: British Influencer Tasha Newcombe Defends Dating 16-Year-Old Amid

British influencer Tasha Newcombe, 21, has responded to online criticism of her relationship with 16-year-old Marko Vituk, asserting that she will not tolerate hate directed at her, her friends, or her family.

Newcombe, who has 286,000 followers on TikTok, recently went public with her new boyfriend, sparking intense scrutiny. She has defended her decision, stating that she will continue to live her life as she chooses.

She addressed the controversy during an appearance on the popular YouTube podcast The Blue Tick Show, hosted by Mikey Melin, where she was joined by her boyfriend Vituk, the New York Post reported.

“I am in a relationship with someone who’s five years younger than me,” Newcombe told Melin on the podcast. “I know a lot of people are gonna have their opinions on that and quite rightly so, you’re allowed to have your opinions, that’s your free will.”

Although the relationship is new, Newcombe described it as the “most mature” she has ever experienced. “I just have to say that this boy is genuinely the most mature, kind, loving person I’ve ever been in a relationship with,” she said.

Explaining how they first connected, Newcombe noted that their initial meeting was casual and not intended as a date. “I’d told Marko I’d go out for food with him, I didn’t see it as a date or anything,” she explained.

She added, “I was also unsure of meeting him because I’ve actually never dated someone younger than me in my life. I didn’t know what kind of challenges that was gonna bring forward for me but regardless, I’m in a relationship with him now.”

“It’s my life, I’m going to live my life how I want to live my life. If I decide I want to be in a relationship with him, I can because it is legal. Whether you think it’s morally right or not, it is legal,” she asserted.