A man who fell in love with a woman 40 years his junior says she's not a "gold digger" and blasted trolls who accused him of "kidnapping" her - insisting they are "mad about each other"

Claudio Spilatro, 63, met his partner, Semie Atadja, 25, on a dating app in 2017 when she was just 18 years old.

Keen to find an "active" woman after divorcing his ex-wife of 18 years, Claudio bumped into Semie on Seeking - an app designed to connect affluent singletons.

Semie says she had been after an older, "wiser" man after becoming tired of dating "losers" her own age.

Claudio took Semie out to lunch where he discovered her "bubbly" personality and the pair immediately hit it off - despite her being younger than his 34-year-old daughter.

The couple since travelled the world together - flying first class, staying in five-star resorts and hiring private chefs - and find themselves on holiday at least once a month.

However, the pair - who have 39 years between them - are regularly targeted by trolls who claim that Claudio "kidnapped" Semie or that she is "using him for his money".

Despite the comments initially bothering Semie, they now don't let it affect them and say they "enjoy" each other's company.