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Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gen Z Is Particularly Weird About Relationship Age Gaps. Here's Why.
Is a five-year age gap in a relationship a little untoward? What about a three-year gap? On social media, Gen Zers ― at least those who are chronically online ― are constantly debating the ethics of age gaps. Even if some relationships are perfectly legal, that doesn't necessarily make them ethical, many say. It's little wonder then that age-disparate relationships are cause for so much conversation: Having grown up alongside the #MeToo movement, Generation Z is well versed in unbalanced power dynamics and the language of consent. And lately, there's been plenty of celebrity pairings to interrogate. There's the obviously icky examples, like the recent, short-lived romance between Aoki Lee Simmons — Russell and Kimora Lee Simmons' 21-year-old daughter — and restaurateur Vittorio Assaf, 65. Earlier this month, viral photos showed the pair flouncing around on vacation in St. Barts. Yes, they're both consenting adults, but it was still unseemly, critics said. If anything, the argument that they're both of age is 'something groomers cling to,' as one young woman on Threads put it. 'Adulthood was meant to signify voting/draft age,' she wrote. 'But everyone knows your prefrontal cortex is not fully formed at this age.' (This difference between so-called brain age and chronological age ― you might be 21 but your brain is undeveloped! ― often gets brought up in these kinds of conversations.) There are gender-swapped examples too, like actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson and filmmaker Sam Taylor-Johnson, a now-married couple who met while working on a 2009 John Lennon biopic called 'Nowhere Boy.' At the time, he was in his late teens and she was a mother of two in her early 40s. 'I didn't relate to anyone my age,' the actor told The Telegraph in 2019, reflecting on when they first met. 'I just feel that we're on the same wavelength.' Some fans aren't convinced. 'We def aren't talking about male grooming victims enough and this is literally proof,' one person wrote in a highly shared TikTok video about their coupling. Then there's the less expected critiques: Is four years too much of an age gap? 'At 25, I wouldn't even date a 21 year old,' reads one tweet with around 80,000 likes. What about 10 years? Fans of Billie Eilish were up in arms in 2022 when the then-20-year-old singer revealed that she was dating fellow musician Jesse Rutherford, who was in his early 30s. One viral tweet about the 10-year age gap reads: 'jesse rutherford was alive during george h w bush's presidency . billie eilish cannot legally drink.' Long-established relationships aren't safe, either. Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively's 11-year gap has been scrutinized. And recently, Beyhive members have begun debating whether Beyoncé was 'groomed' because she was 19 when she started dating Jay-Z, who was in his early 30s. Noncelebrity couples are getting called out, too. 'I was 19. My now husband was 27. My now 13yo child calls him my 'predator,'' one woman wrote on Threads alongside laughing emoji, probably only half-joking. Is Gen Z just more prudish on this subject than prior generations? Not necessarily, said Justin Lehmiller, a research fellow at the Kinsey Institute and the host of the 'Sex and Psychology Podcast.' He's been studying age-gap relationships for roughly 20 years and said the stigma around age-disparate relationships is long-standing. In 2008 ― when terms like 'cradle robber' and 'cougar' were bandied around a lot more than they are now ― Lehmiller co-authored a study that found age-discrepant couples reported experiencing significantly more social disapproval than people in gay or interracial couples. So the discomfort around these types of relationships isn't anything new. What is new, according to Lehmiller, is how comfortable Gen Z feels about publicly and vocally disapproving of these relationships ― even on people's personal Instagram pages. (Aaron and Sam Taylor-Johnson recently spoke out against the 'bizarre' online judgment they've received. Eilish and Rutherford brushed off the criticism from overly concerned fans by dressing up as a baby and an old man one Halloween.) 'To some in Gen Z, age-gap relationships read as being inherently exploitative because they perceive age discrepancies as necessarily creating a power imbalance that favors the older partner,' Lehmiller told HuffPost. What's also changed is which parties tend to receive the brunt of the judgment. In the past, people were often scornful of both the younger and older partners in these relationships. Historically, the younger partners, especially when they were women, endured labels like 'gold digger' ― with the implication that they were the ones doing the exploiting. That terminology doesn't always fly with Gen Z. 'That perception seems to have largely disappeared when you look at what Gen Z is saying,' Lehmiller noted. 'They seem to cast the younger partners as victims who are being preyed upon or 'groomed.'' Gigi Engle, a certified sex and relationship psychotherapist and resident intimacy expert for dating app 3Fun, worries that the term 'grooming' is being overapplied and losing its meaning. 'The narrative is really toxic here and in many other cases,' she told HuffPost. 'Trans people are groomers, gay people are groomers, older people dating younger people are groomers ― and this just isn't accurate. It's a really fear-mongering time we live in.' Gen Z may be hyperfocused on this because of their age: If you're a 35-year-old woman, you're probably less hung up on the idea of a 50-year-old guy expressing interest in you. 'I think younger people may be more susceptible to manipulation and are therefore more afraid of it,' Engle said. 'The reality is, age-gap relationships have been happening since humans have existed, and it is absolutely not some one-size-fits-all. In the vast majority of relationships like this, nothing untoward is happening.' Talking to actual Gen Zers, you'll find that their opinions on age gaps run the gamut. As with most things, their takes on the subject are much more nuanced than those found on X, the platform previously known as Twitter, would have you believe. That said, many are genuinely bothered by age gaps. While the #MeToo movement gave them the language to talk about power imbalances, some 20-somethings say their opinions are more colored by their own personal experiences. Layla — a 23-year-old who asked to use her first name only for privacy reasons, like others in this story — thinks it's better to date within your own age group, ideally within a two- or three-year range. 'When I was around 21 and 22, I tried talking to guys who were 30 and over but soon realized it wasn't right,' she told HuffPost. 'They had so much more life experiences than me, and it was awkward being from different generations.' Layla said she'd tried to joke and laugh about certain things ― a meme or a TikTok video ― and got a lot of blank stares. She wasn't a fan of their humor, either: Men recounting the umpteenth 'Seinfeld' episode or that one 'Step Brothers' scene gets a little old after a while. 'Trying to relate to one another just didn't work out, and it felt awkward and wrong,' she said. 'I believe a relationship between an 18- and 25-year-old is problematic,' Layla said, noting that this applies regardless of gender. 'I actually wish women got called out for their predatory behavior, too,' she said. 'It almost seems like no one wants to hold women accountable.' Mona, a 21-year-old college student in Georgia, even finds her own parents' 11-year age gap a little 'predatory': Her dad was in his late 30s and a divorced father of one when he met her mom, who was in her late 20s and didn't have children. Mona would date someone three years older. She wouldn't consider going younger, though. 'I do think that an 18- and 25-year-old together is unacceptable,' she said. She is particularly weirded out when she hears people talk about how their partner basically raised them or taught them 'how to be a woman,' as Beyoncé said to Jay-Z in a 2006 birthday toast that went viral recently. Mona is also wary of anyone who almost exclusively dates young people ― the Leonardo DiCaprios of the world. Every time the 49-year-old actor gets a new girlfriend, a graph highlighting the fact that each of his ex-girlfriends has been 25 or under starts circulating again. 'Any respectable adult would have the common sense that pursuing a teenager is extremely weird, and I also believe it says a lot about the headspace of the older person,' the 21-year-old said. Mona also thinks the COVID-19 pandemic might've been a factor in Gen Zers' apprehension over age gaps. They might technically be 21, but given that weird few-year pause, they don't feel it. 'You hear about how we're mentally the same age that we were when the pandemic first started,' she said. 'That might play a role in why some people are not settling on older people pursuing them ― you feel you're still too young.' Not everyone agrees. Rei, a 22-year-old who is queer, said they don't find age-disparate relationships inherently problematic. They said there's a lot more than age that gives people power over each other, and if you consider five years an 'age-gap relationship' then Rei is currently in one. 'Though my partner is older than me, I have a college degree and she doesn't,' they said. 'So arguably I have a better financial and career outlook that would make me the 'abusive one,' if you're using that language.' Age gaps may be more common in the queer community, Rei said. 'I don't know a gay guy who hasn't been with someone much older than him,' they said. 'It's just normal to us.' Problematic dynamics can exist no matter the age. 'People now don't know what grooming is and just use the term as synonymous with age gaps,' Rei said. To some extent, Rei sees the hubbub over age gaps as an overcorrection of the mores ushered in by the #MeToo movement. 'People overadjust and assume that any relationship out of the norm is abusive,' they said. 'In my experience, people who feel age gaps are problematic are also the same people who argue the internet is harmful and should be censored because they had a bad experience as a kid. Your experience isn't universal.' For Amelia, 24, actual age matters less than the stage of life you're in. She figures if you're a relatively accomplished 28-year-old dating an accomplished 40-year-old, what's the big deal? The word 'grooming' really only applies when an adult is introduced to a future partner when they're underage, Amelia said. She cited the relationship between Dane Cook and his wife as an 'egregious' example of a questionable age gap. (The now-52-year-old comedian met Kelsi Taylor at a game night he hosted when she was in her late teens.) 'Do I think it's possible for people like that to have a healthy and happy relationship? Sure,' Amelia said. 'But the older I get, my desire to talk to high schoolers grows slimmer and slimmer. I really can't put myself in the shoes of someone who would want to befriend a high schooler.' That said, Amelia thinks that some Gen Zers take their judgment too far. To her, the concern over age gaps seems like a weirdly 'paternalistic' brand of feminism, where women feel the need to protect women from men. 'It's similar to how Swifties treat Taylor Swift,' she said, referring to the now-34-year-old pop star. 'You have young women 'looking out for' a billionaire woman in her 30s. I'm a fan of Taylor Swift, but I don't think she needs protecting from Travis Kelce because Travis Kelce got in the face of his NFL coach during the Super Bowl.' The anti-age-gap sentiment held by many plays into the 'puriteen' narrative that's been inescapable lately. Online, there's a lot of hand-wringing over Gen Zers' seeming aversion to sex: Studies show that they're having less of it than earlier generations and that they don't want sex scenes in their movies. Though Amelia overall disagrees with age-gap critics ― she feels like their arguments rob women of their agency, she said ― she gets where those in her peer group are coming from. 'The majority of us had unsupervised internet access from a young age. We were in chatrooms, on Tumblr, and other various corners of the internet that we probably should not have been on at that age,' she said. 'It was easy for grown men on the internet to reach us if they wanted to.' If you've been oversexualized at a young age ― or seen others in your age bracket be oversexualized ― that experience is understandably going to shape how you perceive these kinds of things, Amelia said. But the reality is, there are likely just as many happy May-December unions as there are disappointing ones. 'Believe it or not, we often see more ― not less ― equity in these relationships,' Lehmiller noted. All of the Gen Zers we spoke to said that ultimately, two consenting adults can do whatever they want in their private lives, even if others find it off-putting. 'Men can like women that are younger and not be a creep,' Amelia said. 'He also can be a creep, but some random person with a Twitter cartoon avatar shouldn't necessarily be the judge of that!' I Fell In Love With A Man More Than Twice My Age. I Wasn't Prepared For What Marrying Him Would Mean. 6 Women On What It's Really Like To Date Much Older Men I'm 63. She's 22. Here's What Most People Get Wrong About Our Marriage.
New York Times
23-06-2025
- New York Times
Island-Hopping on a D.I.Y. Caribbean Cruise
Monday was designer window-shopping on St. Barts. Tuesday, hiking rugged Saba. Wednesday, the endless summer beaches of Anguilla. All without the crowds from massive cruise ships or the expense of privately chartered sailboats. Somewhere between them lie ferries, offering do-it-yourself island-hopping trips that explore the Caribbean, slow-travel style. In the Leeward Islands, the dual-nation island of Dutch St. Maarten and French St. Martin serves as a transportation hub, welcoming travelers to St. Maarten's busy Princess Juliana International Airport and offering connections to nearby destinations via ferry or flight. The ferry companies offer day trips to visitors on St. Maarten who find themselves tantalizingly close to chic St. Barts or spy distant Saba on the horizon. 'You can leave one island and get four or five stamps in your passport,' said Malinda Hassell, the director of tourism for Saba, a Dutch Caribbean island. 'That's what makes this area unique.' Testing the premise from a base in St. Maarten with my friend Anne Marie, I created my own spring cruise, ferrying to French St. Barts, mountainous Saba and beachy British Anguilla. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Forbes
20-06-2025
- Forbes
5 Reasons To Visit St. Barts Right Now
Le Barthélemy Hotel & Spa is a sleek seaside escape. Le Barthélemy Hotel & Spa At only 11 miles long, the tiny island of St. Barts, in the French West Indies, makes big headlines for attracting celebrities and ultra-luxury jet setters (and their mega yachts). Beyond its outward persona, the island holds a bit back for privacy's sake. It is filled with many wonderful surprises discoverable to the 200,000-plus visitors who come during the busiest time (November to July) and escapade around its hilly terrain in the signature island vehicle, the mini Moke. Getting to St. Barts — also known as Saint Barthélemy (the official French name) and St. Barth (the French nickname) — by boat, private yacht, helicopter or plane is half the fun. With one of the shortest runways in the world that cascades down a hill and into the ocean, landing on the island is an adventure. International flights arrive in St. Martin, Antigua, Anguilla, St. Kitts, St. Thomas, Puerto Rico and Guadeloupe and connect via inter-island flights to St. Barts, skillfully making the landing more than 30 times a day. For the comfort of a fully pressurized cabin, opt for the Tradewinds Aviation flight from San Juan, which lasts around an hour. Once on the ground, you're reminded that the Caribbean island is a French territory. The euro is the standard currency, locals are citizens of France and there are many French fashion brands, boulangeries, patisseries, cafés and brasseries around town. Expect artful service and attention to detail. And if you know where to look around the luxurious escape, you're bound to find a few sublime surprises, too. St. Barts is a small island that makes a big impression. iStock-Sean Pavone Most of the luxury hotel rooms in St. Barts hide in the hillside, but Le Barthélemy Hotel & Spa puts you on the crescent-shaped beach of Grand Cul-de-Sac. Some of the sea-inspired accommodations offer direct sand access, and others have pools and Jacuzzis overlooking the ocean. The sprawling resort pool also affords water vistas. Jump right into the calm waters with paddleboarding, kayaking, kitesurfing or snorkeling; explore with a private yacht; or cut through the waves in a jet ski — all of which are available through Le Barthélemy. Then dine alfresco while gazing at the water at Abyss, the hotel's French fine dining restaurant spotlighting local ingredients. Be sure to order the house cuvée, Leclerc Briant Champagne, which spends a year aging submerged in the Atlantic Ocean. For a more laid-back option, enjoy lunch on the beach at Amis St. Barth or come for its decadent brunch, which debuts this season featuring dishes like bacon-bechamel-stuffed croissants and made-to-order crepes. And don't miss a visit to La Spa, the only one in the Caribbean to use La Mer's lavish products that use the power of the sea for transformative facials. An oasis of calm is tucked in Cheval Blanc St-Barth's tropical garden. Cheval Blanc St-Barth The closest thing in St. Barts to being in France without actually being there is Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Cheval Blanc St-Barth in Baie des Flamands. The area became favored by the elite when the Rockefellers purchased land there in the 1960s. Cheval Blanc St-Barth ensures standards remain exceptionally high with its newly renovated Cheval Blanc Spa by Guerlain. Tucked into the resort's secluded tropical garden, the oasis was designed by Parisian modernist architect Isabelle Stanislas and features services specially created for this wellness treasure that engages all the senses. There are five treatment rooms, including Salon Orchidée, an indoor double suite that feels like a heavenly cocoon, with white walls and soothing woods that mimic the sands of St. Barts. The interior reflects the exterior, with nature inspiring all the choices, from the ergonomic lines of the furniture to lighting that mimics the sun. New aesthetic enhancements, including micropeels and Hydrafacial technology, amplify the benefits of these treatments. To appeal to your olfactory sense, Thierry Wasser, the nose of Guerlain, produced the fragrance Tropical Chic for the resort, which joins the collection of the beauty brand's destination-inspired scents. Have a meal on Rosewood Le Guanahani St. Barth's own stretch of sand. Rosewood Le Guanahani St. Barth St. Barts has roughly 15 beaches across the island, each with its own character. The Four-Star Rosewood Le Guanahani St. Barth offers the full toes-in-sand experience with two private, fully serviced beaches within its compound. The resort first opened in 1986 as Hotel Guanahani ('welcome' in the island's native Arawak language), but was reimagined and reopened as a Rosewood property in 2021. Unfolding over 18 acres on a private peninsula between Marechal Beach and Grand Cul-de-Sac lagoon. While the 66 rooms are scattered around the hillside, Rosewood Le Guanahani St. Barth beckons those who crave proximity to the water with complimentary kayaking, paddle-boarding and snorkeling on its beaches. Beach House St. Barth, the resort's all-day culinary complex, serves a beachfront lunch of refreshing dishes like cucumber and mint gazpacho and sashimi for when the day's top priority is unwinding by the sand. Feel the waterfront elegance over multi-course candlelit dinners as well. The stars gravitate to St. Barts' laid-back landscape. iStock-Nancy Pauwels Every season in St. Barts is marked by new openings, which quickly become the hot tickets in town. One of the latest examples has been all the chatter surrounding Mamo, a transplant from the French Riviera that has attracted legions of A-list celebrities (including Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Mick Jagger, Kendall Jenner and Leonardo DiCaprio) to its Soho outpost for decades. It now moves into the heart of St Barts' central district, Gustavia, with food that's authentically Italian and the vibe best described as Côte d'Azur chic. Chef Mamo Pepino, known as the 'Pope of Pasta and Smiles,' flawlessly re-creates Mediterranean magic in the heart of the Caribbean. In this tiny temple of Italian delicacies, white tablecloths, the golden glow of candlelight and the palpable energy of the crowd complement lemon-Parmesan artichoke salad, spaghetti with caviar and a vibrant menu of other favorites. St. Barts loves to show off its beauty. With its pearly beaches and sapphire-hued water jutting up against dramatic volcano-carved landscapes, it makes sense. But the star of the show is the sunset, and one of the best places to watch it is from the upper level of Hotel Barrière Le Carl Gustaf. Only five minutes from the port in Gustavia, the west-facing location perched above the buildings' red rooftops is perfect for any photos. With 21 rooms and suites and a villa, the terraced property with a tropical garden is the only hotel on the island with views like this of Gustavia. Every suite features a private pool to watch those epic sunsets while the 3,230-square-foot Villa Diane also comes with a butler. The French-Caribbean design by Gilles & Boissier makes every environment appear as if it's swathed in the golden glow of a Clarendon filter, with natural shutters and fabrics, light wood and stone. The wellness programs at Spa Diane Barrière also include a memorable vista. Enjoy a yoga session on the beach or a massage on the terrace of your suite. Also, with a fantastic view right on Shell Beach, the hotel's Shellona attracts day partiers to its glamorous beach shack chic scene. The kitchen serves the island fare du jour (a hybrid between Caribbean and Mediterranean), mezze, shellfish, crudo and carpaccio, grilled whole fish and skewers of meat, all accompanied by lots of rosé.
Daily Mail
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Duncan Bannatyne, 76, 'in recovery' following surgery as wife Nigora Whitehorn, 45, shares snap of the mogul from his hospital bed - months after he broke leg and 'almost died'
Duncan Bannatyne 's wife Nigora Whitehorn has revealed the mogul was 'recovering' in hospital following mystery surgery, months after breaking his leg and then 'almost dying' after being stung by a dragon fly. Taking to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday, the stunner shared a snap of the ex Dragon's Den star, 76, as he recuperated in bed with a nasal cannula giving him oxygen. Uzbekistan-born Nigora, 45, captioned the candid snap 'recovery' alongside a love hear emoji wrapped in bandage. She then posted a glam selfie sporting dramatic eye make-up as she sat at her beloved husband's bedside. MailOnline have contacted Duncan's representatives for comment. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Back in January Duncan was left relying on the use of a knee brace and walking stick after seriously hurt himself while strutting his stuff on the dance floor in St. Barts. He was supported by a crutch as he prepared to fly home from Gustaf III Airport in St Barts, where the brace around his right leg could be seen. 'He broke his leg in London eight weeks ago and was making a great recovery until his active holiday in the Caribbean, which involved dancing until 4am,' his spokesman told MailOnline's Richard Eden at the time. Adding: 'He used his leg brace to get back in recovery for his flight and is feeling fine now.' Last month Duncan revealed he 'almost died' after being stung by a dragonfly whilst on holiday with his wife in Mexico. The multi-millionaire shared that after contracting an infection he was left with a 'dryness' in his throat that left him struggling to speak, when a doctor gave him an injection to treat the sting. Speaking to Evan Davis on BBC Radio 4's Decisions That Made Me A Leader, Duncan recalled: 'I almost died in Mexico, just a few weeks ago. 'I got this infection in my hand. It was a bite and it's swelling. There were seven couples and a woman said: ''You have to get a doctor.' 'My wife phoned the doctor. I lay on the bed and he says he's going to give me an injection because it's a dragonfly. He injected me into my hip and I turn on my back. 'I was lying there, he was talking to my wife and I had this dryness come up through my oesophagus. I was so dry and I couldn't speak. And my heart started - bump, bump bump bump bump, bump, bump.' Duncan added that he managed to catch the medic's attention again, explaining: 'He gave me this injection and it took it away. And then they got some pills from the pharmacist.' He added he's now 'seriously' considering planning his will, in case he has another health scare in the future. Duncan continued: 'And when I'm gone, what happens? I'm sure some time in your life somebody who's very old says, listen, when I die, I want you to do this. Except now I want to do it, I want to put the plans in place.', The lion share of his estimated £400 million fortune will go to his 'soul mate' Nigora. Nigora is Duncan's third wife after previously tying the knot with Gail Brodie and Joanne McCue, in 1987 and 2006 respectively. Thrice-wed Duncan has four children with Gail and two with Joanna. Duncan proposed to Nigora in 2016 with a £40k ring in Monte Carlo after they first started dating in 2015 when Duncan met her after visiting the dental surgery on London's Harley Street where she was working in 2014.
Sky News
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
Diddy trial day 13 as it happened: Alleged victim gave him note that said 'I love you forever'
What you need to know after day 13 of Diddy's trial - scroll down to catch up That's all for our live coverage today. Earlier, Sean "Diddy" Combs's former assistant continued testifying under the pseudonym "Mia" before his defence started cross-examination. If you're just checking in, here's a recap of what we heard today: Mia said she was "put in the middle" after Cassie found out that Diddy was "cheating" on her when she saw a video showing Combs with another woman; Jurors were shown text messages between Mia and Diddy's former chief of staff, with Mia explaining her "night terrors" about the rapper and saying he threatened to kill her; In a WhatsApp exchange between Diddy and Mia, he threatened to "tell everything" and said "let's go to war" if Mia didn't respond to his messages; Mia recalled a trip to the Caribbean island St Barts on New Year's Eve in 2010, describing a moment when she was told to count the money in Diddy's safe on a yacht. She said he became "really angry" and accused her of counting too slowly; Diddy's former assistant also told jurors she hasn't been able to return to work because she suffers from "severe, complex PTSD"; As cross-examination began, Diddy's defence attorney quizzed Mia on a range of social media posts which featured the rapper and often included glowing captions; Mia defended the posts by describing the situation as "very confusing" and saying "I didn't want my family and friends to know the misery I was in"; Diddy's defence attorney asked Mia to read the captions to some of her posts out loud to jurors, which included phrases like "we f****** love you" and one that described him as a "legend"; Mia was also presented in court with a scrapbook she made for Combs's 45th birthday, containing a note which said "I love you forever". Mia told jurors she was afraid Combs would kill her and said that making the scrapbook was "a lot more complicated on all levels". The trial will resume on Monday as Mia's cross-examination continues. We'll see you back here then. Court finishes for the day The jury has now been dismissed, bringing day 13 of the trial to a close. Cross-examination of Sean "Diddy" Combs's former assistant, who is testifying under the pseudonym "Mia", will continue on Monday. Stay with us as we'll bring you a summary of today's proceedings. 'I am so heartbroken': Jurors shown texts of when Mia found out she was being cut from Diddy's company Jurors are now shown text messages from December 2016 between Mia and Diddy's former chief of staff Kristina Khorram. The messages were sent after Mia found out she was being made redundant from Sean Combs's company. Mia starts the conversation by saying that her "life is over" and that she was "going to kill" herself. "I am so heartbroken I cannot breathe," she wrote. "Can't wait to see the light at the end of the tunnel... I don't know what to do... it hurts so f****** bad." Mia is asked about the messages, and says: "I did not want to leave the company where I finally saw my dreams coming to fruition". "It was not just a job, it was around 24 hours a day, this was all I knew and I worked so hard and went through so much." 'I have not lied to anyone at all', Mia says In the most direct moment of the cross-examination so far, Sean Combs's defence attorney Brian Steel asks Mia whether she is wrong, and that his client never had non-consensual sex with her. "What I said is true," Combs's former assistant says, adding: "I have not lied to anyone at all". When asked whether she overestimated the number of times Combs may have inappropriately touched her, Mia says: "everything I said in this courtroom is true". 'Nobody around us even flinched at Diddy's behaviour' Sean Combs's defence attorney Brian Steel is quizzing Mia over why she would make the scrapbook for Diddy if he ruined her life as she claims. "At the time, he made me feel the opposite as well, I am not a professional to explain that," she says. Mia goes on to say "nobody around us" would say that the things that were happening were wrong. "There was nobody around us that even flinched at his behaviour... I was always in trouble and always finding a way not to be in trouble," she says. Mia tells jurors that she was afraid Combs would kill her, and says that making a scrapbook for him was "a lot more complicated on all levels". 'I love you forever': Mia presented with scrapbook she made for Diddy and reads note aloud Mia is now presented with a scrapbook she made for Sean "Diddy" Combs, which she gave to him as a gift for his 45th birthday. "I have put together this scrapbook from 1991-1999 that I hope will stir up nostalgic feelings of when you started and how you felt and what was a dream to you that's now an everyday reality," a note in it says. Mia, reading the note aloud, continues: "I hope it reminds you of when this world made your eyes light up. "Happy happy birthday, I love you forever." Asked whether she meant those words, Mia says "at the time... I was reflecting a conversation I had". Combs's defence asks Mia to read her social media captions about Diddy to jurors After showing Mia's social media post on Sean Combs's birthday (see previous post), his defence asked Mia to read her caption aloud. She was full of praise for Diddy in the caption on her social media post, describing him as a "legend". After calling up another post from his birthday, Combs's defence asks Mia to read another caption out loud. She reads the caption to the court, which ends with "we f****** love you". Despite Steel attempting to show a disconnect between what Mia claimed her life was like and the glowing posts about Combs, Mia is confidently claiming ownership of the posts. Combs's defence attorney continues to focus on Mia's posts praising Diddy Sean Combs's defence attorney Brian Steel continues his questioning over Mia's social media posts featuring Diddy, just like he did before the lunch break. He points to one post in particular, in which Mia thanks Diddy for an "incredible experience". Once again, she is asked whether this is the same Combs she said has altered her life for the worse forever. "Yes," she replies. She is also asked about another post six years after Combs allegedly sexually assaulted her. "How is that not a significant date in your life?" Steel asks. "It was Puff's birthday... I tried to protect that night and shut it down and not think about it again," she says. Court back in session Jurors are back in the courtroom and Mia has returned to the stand. Sean Combs's former assistant, who is testifying under the pseudonym, will continue to be cross-examined. She's facing questions from Combs's defence attorney Brian Steel. Trial expected to resume shortly The judge is back in the courtroom and is discussing some legal arguments with Diddy's defence attorneys and the prosecution. We'll bring you the latest as soon as things get back under way shortly.
