Carole Radziwill on Love, Aging, and the Joy of Dating Younger Men

Embracing Love in the Golden Years: Carole Radziwill’s Journey

Carole Radziwill, a former star of The Real Housewives of New York City, has always been vocal about her experiences with love, loss, and life. At 61, she’s embracing her golden years with a renewed sense of confidence and a fresh perspective on dating. Radziwill, who attended the premiere of Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy in New York City, shared her thoughts on why she believes finding love gets better with age. “I hated dating in my 20s,” she confessed. “It was awkward. I wasn’t confident.” It wasn’t until she met her late husband, Anthony Radziwill, at the age of 25 that she felt a sense of stability. The two were together for a decade before his untimely death in 1999. After her husband’s passing, Radziwill found herself navigating the dating world again in her mid-30s, an experience she described as “fun” but admitted it only got better as she grew older. “And now it’s, like, rocking! It’s just so fun,” she quipped.

Radziwill’s journey through love and loss has taught her that age is not a barrier to happiness—or passion. She believes that finding love is “better in your 50s” and beyond, often joking, “I always say I grew up, I just didn’t get old.” Her approach to dating is refreshingly candid, and she’s not afraid to defy societal norms. One of her secrets to enjoying this phase of her life? Dating younger men. Radziwill, who documented her romance with Adam Kenworthy, a man several years her junior, on RHONY, shared that she’s learned a thing or two about what makes relationships dynamic. “I don’t want to say to only date younger guys, but there’s something that [is different],” she hinted.

The Dynamics of Dating Younger Men: Why It Works for Carole

For Radziwill, the appeal of dating younger men lies in the energy and excitement they bring to the relationship. “Younger men, they just still know how to pursue and flirt,” she said with a smile. She believes that the chemistry between older women and younger men can create a unique sense of balance. “I feel like sex is the great leveler, so there needs to be something to level. So when you come and you’re matched perfectly, I call it Cabbage Patch love, it’s not as interesting,” she shared. According to Radziwill, age can often be the key to finding your edge in a romance. “When you find something—sometimes it’s age, sometimes it’s experience—it’s more dynamic.”

Radziwill’s confidence in her approach to dating is rooted in her years of experience. She’s been through marriage, heartache, and success, and she believes these experiences make her a more fulfilling partner. “When you’ve done it—you’ve been through it, you’ve had marriages, and heartache, and joy, and triumphs, and success, and experience—you bring all that to the table and it’s fantastic,” she explained. This confidence, she admits, is a major factor in why she’s thriving in her current dating life. And she’s not alone in embracing this mindset. With movies like Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, which features Renée Zellweger’s character being pursued by a younger man, society is beginning to accept the idea of older women dating younger men as normal.

Breaking Down Barriers: Older Women and Younger Men in Society

Radziwill points out that while men dating younger women has long been socially accepted, the opposite is often met with scrutiny. However, she believes this double standard is slowly fading. “Now you’re seeing a lot of the other way around. You’re seeing a lot of movies come out. There was one with Anne Hathaway [The Idea of You], there was one with Nicole Kidman [Babygirl]. And now in Mad About the Boy, the boy is younger,” she shared. Radziwill sees this shift as a sign of progress, noting that society is “tolerating that a little less and tolerating older women with younger men a little more.”

The changing tides of public opinion are partly due to the increasing visibility of older women in media and their openness about their dating lives. Radziwill, who has been vocal about her own experiences, believes this newfound acceptance is long overdue. “Because it’s not unusual. It shouldn’t be unusual,” she remarked. With more stories like Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy hitting theaters, the narrative around older women and younger men is becoming more mainstream—and less taboo.

Love Knows No Age: Carole’s Message of Confidence and Connection

Radziwill’s message is one of empowerment and self-assurance. She believes that a woman’s sex life only improves with age, calling age “really irrelevant.” Her perspective is refreshing in a world that often pressures women to conform to societal beauty standards and relationship norms. “Age is really irrelevant,” she said, emphasizing that confidence and experience are what truly matter in a relationship.

For Radziwill, the key to a fulfilling dating life is embracing who you are and what you’ve been through. “When you’ve done it—you’ve been through it, you’ve had marriages, and heartache, and joy, and triumphs, and success, and experience—you bring all that to the table and it’s fantastic,” she shared. This mindset has allowed her to approach dating with a sense of freedom and joy, something she believes more women should embraces as they get older. “Finding love is better in your 50s” and beyond, she insisted, and she’s living proof of that.

The Future of Love: A World Where Age Doesn’t Matter

As society continues to evolve, Radziwill sees a future where age gaps in relationships are no longer a topic of debate. With movies like Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy and The Idea of You leading the charge, the conversation around older women dating younger men is becoming more normalized. Radziwill believes this shift is a step in the right direction, one that reflects the diversity of real-life relationships. “Because it’s not unusual. It shouldn’t be unusual,” she remarked.

For Radziwill, love is about connection, chemistry, and confidence—not about societal expectations or age brackets. Her story is a testament to the idea that life doesn’t stop after a certain milestone, and that love can be just as vibrant and exciting in your 50s, 60s, or beyond. As she continues to navigate the dating world with her signature wit and charm, Radziwill is proving that age is just a number—and a minor one at that. With her unapologetic attitude and infectious enthusiasm, she’s reminding us all that love is worth pursuing, no matter where you are in life. And as Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy hits theaters on February 14, 2024, Carole Radziwill’s story serves as a reminder that love knows no age limits—and neither should we.