I dated a man 33 years older than me on Netflix’s Age of Attraction – I was 27, he was 60… and here’s why I’ll NEVER do it again

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Vanelle Fenmou, known from the Netflix show Age of Attraction, has decided she’s done dating older men. She ended her relationship with her partner, who was 33 years older than her, after leaving the reality series.

Vanelle, 27 at the time of filming a new dating show, shared with the Daily Mail that relationships with much older men can be challenging because they’re often stuck in their routines, hindering growth and shared future-building. She says she’s now done with significant age-gap relationships.

A project manager from Dallas was one of the initial participants on the dating show, Age of Attraction. The unique premise of the show is that singles date without revealing their ages until they decide to live together.

She was shocked to learn her partner, Jorge Sanchez, was much older than her – in his sixties, and the same age as her parents. They had trouble connecting, and she decided to leave the show only a few days later.

Vanelle recently told the Daily Mail she’s done dating older men. She explained that it’s difficult to build a relationship with someone much older who feels their life experience is more important than yours. She added that it’s challenging to help someone change after they’ve lived a certain way for so long – in this case, 60 years.

Honestly, after some real self-discovery, I’m finally ready for a relationship with someone my own age. I’m looking for someone I can really connect with – someone we can build a life together, have fun, and grow alongside each other, learning from each other’s experiences. It’s so important to me to feel like an equal partner, with my voice truly heard. Going through the ‘Age of Attraction’ process really solidified what I want: a genuine, balanced partnership with someone closer to my age.

Vanelle and Jorge had been dating for a while without sharing their ages. They eventually decided to get more serious and, as they committed to each other, they finally revealed how old they were.

Okay, so before I moved to Canada – where they actually filmed the show, can you believe it?! – I had totally built this whole thing up in my head. I seriously convinced myself he couldn’t have been more than his late 40s. I know it sounds crazy, but I was falling so hard, and I just needed to believe that!

I was completely surprised to learn he was 60. I had assumed he was much younger, probably in his 40s, the entire time.

I was surprised to learn his age – I hadn’t expected anyone here to be in their sixties. But by then, I’d already developed strong feelings for him, and his age didn’t seem important anymore. I was determined to make a relationship work, regardless of the age difference.

The show’s creators encouraged us not to worry about age, and I didn’t give it a thought unless they specifically asked me to.

Okay, so from the very beginning with Jorge, Vanelle was so honest – she told him right away she’d chosen to stay celibate and that her faith was the most important thing to her. It was amazing to see, honestly! She wasn’t going to compromise on what she believed, and she made that perfectly clear from day one. I was SO proud of her for being so strong and true to herself!

She gave in to temptation and became intimate with Jorge, and their encounter was filmed as part of the show.

Ever since the show began, Vanelle has been heavily criticized and harassed online by some Christians who strongly disapproved of her actions and have called her names.

I messed up and gave in to a moment of weakness. Jorge revealed something about us – we were intimate together, kissing and being affectionate. If he hadn’t wanted it, he could have stopped us or said he was uncomfortable, but he didn’t express that at all during that moment.

I eventually left because my religious beliefs are very important to me, and I realized I couldn’t keep going on in that situation.

I’m still receiving hateful messages and criticism, and it’s really upsetting. People, especially within the Christian community, are attacking me online and saying very hurtful things.

I was being genuine and openly sharing my faith, but some people are criticizing me, claiming I’m not a true Christian. They point to my appearance on the show, my previous statements about remaining celibate, and the fact that I later engaged in physical intimacy as reasons to believe I’ve disappointed God and am not a real believer.

Vanelle admitted that being targeted by online trolls was upsetting, but she’s had time to heal since the breakup and the show was filmed a year ago.

It was difficult to see negative comments about the show, like people saying I was behaving inappropriately on TV. I didn’t realize how much attention it would get, so I removed social media apps from my phone to protect my mental health. I’m feeling much better now.

I don’t worry about what others think of me. My faith is the most important thing in my life, and I live to please God. I’ve spent the last year working on myself and feel good about the progress I’ve made.

On the show ‘Age of Attraction,’ hosted by Nick Viall and Natalie Joy (who have an 18-year age difference themselves), Vanelle revealed that her parents had a strict rule: she wasn’t allowed to date anyone more than 10 years older than her.

When Vanelle got back home after breaking up with Jorge, her siblings didn’t hide their feelings about the age gap between them. However, she was most surprised by how her mother reacted.

I told my family about it, and my older sister was really upset. She questioned why I would even try dating him. My other siblings didn’t say anything directly at the time, but now they all agree I dodged a bullet.

Surprisingly, my mum told me to get back in touch with him. Even after I explained I’d quit the show and we’d split up, she still wanted me to call.

To be honest, I’ve never brought a boyfriend home to meet my parents – they have no idea about my dating life at all.

My mum wasn’t thrilled about my partner being so much older – 60 years old – but ultimately, she just wanted me to be happy and she accepted my choice.

After the breakup and leaving the show, Vanelle nearly traveled to Los Angeles, where Jorge was living, hoping to work things out.

She ultimately decided not to participate, trusting her gut feeling. She’d noticed warning signs from Jorge both while they were filming and after, and couldn’t overlook them.

After the show ended, it was difficult to readjust to everyday life and I found it hard to discuss what had happened. It took a while to feel like myself again.

While unpacking, I found some things that brought back fond memories of our time together, so I contacted him.

I decided to give our relationship another chance and booked a flight to Los Angeles to see him. However, while I was making travel arrangements, I started noticing more warning signs – he has a tendency to get angry easily and seemed impatient. These things confirmed I’d made the right decision to not go; we just weren’t communicating well.

Vanelle wasn’t the only contestant on Age of Attraction to fall for someone significantly older.

I remember being shocked when I first learned about John and Theresa’s relationship! John was only 27 when they met, and Theresa was 54. It was a huge age gap, and honestly, it was even more surprising to find out that John was actually younger than Theresa’s son. It just seemed so… unexpected.

Since the show wrapped, the couple has also split, citing their age gap as the fundamental problem. 

Vanelle shared that filming wrapped up after only six weeks, and the contestants hadn’t gone on many dates before needing to decide if they wanted to pursue a relationship.

We didn’t date for very long – maybe three or four times – before deciding to live together. But being on a film set makes time feel different, so it felt like we’d known each other much longer.

‘We filmed the show for six weeks and I left a week before the filming ended because of my breakup.

When we first started dating, the women and men stayed in different hotels. We only saw each other on our dates, and there wasn’t much mixing between the groups. Everything was very separate and formal in those early stages.

I really liked that the show didn’t reveal anyone’s age. I’ve always been attracted to older men, and I’ve dated them before, so I was hoping to find someone around my own age this time. I’m looking for someone I can connect with and build a future with, and age is a factor in that for me.

‘But it just so happens that I ended up with someone considerably older.’

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2026-04-01 14:23