Ian Rush's life now with model fiancee after 'hurtful' age gap claim

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However, they have not yet confirmed whether they have indeed tied the knot.The pair started dating after Rush separated from his wife of 25 years, Tracy, in 2012, and they instantly found their relationship thrust into the spotlight, with Anthony accused of breaking up the footballer's marriage while also facing criticism over the age difference between the two.But after numerous outlets reported there to be 22 years separating Rush and his new partner, a frustrated Anthony decided to speak out on behalf of herself and the Welsh legend, revealing the truth about their relationship in response to the unfavourable press coverage."It was in a couple of the the papers in the UK, all about the age gap and didn't come up to speed about what I've been doing the past few years," the now-46 year old told the Irish Independent. There's 13 years between my own parents."The slant they put on it was wrong, like I was marrying him for money or something.

I just felt it was time I spoke up for myself," she added."Ian himself said, it's great to support a footballer in the height of their career but when you finish your career, it's a downward spiral and a whole different ballgame."I've been so supportive of Ian over the last year years and help him work on getting contracts so it feels a bit like a slap in the face when you read these articles. It was a little bit hurtful."Women are strong and we'll always try to take things on the chin but when I saw Ian getting annoyed about it I said, 'No I'm going to take a stance on this."On how she coped with the criticism she encountered during the early stages of her romance with Rush, Anthony said: "It was difficult navigating it initially because I didn't realise the level of scrutiny, and I wasn't ready for it, and that makes everyone anxious and nervous."It wasn't good for a relationship.

We're together 12 years now."But I used to walk behind Ian at every function because I would never want to be photographed with him," she added. Then I realised I shouldn't be hiding."