Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is enjoying family life with her longtime love, Jason Statham — and isn’t phased by their significant age gap.
The British model and actress shared rare insight into her May-December romance with the action star — including how they parent their son Jack, 8, and daughter Bella, 3 — in an interview with The Sunday Times, published on Saturday, April 26.
Of their 20-year age gap — she’ll turn 40 when he turns 60 in a few years — Huntington-Whiteley, now 38, insisted it’s never been an issue.
“I’m committed to my family,” she said of their 15-year relationship. (They began dating in 2010 and got engaged in 2016). “I value the family unit and he’s just been such an incredible person in my life. We take each day as it comes. There’s a lot of love and fun and humour, and we just try to make it work. Relationships go through many iterations. You just have to hold on. I try to show up as the best version of myself. You can only control your side of it, right? My happiness is not in his hands. I just try to do my part.”
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As for whether she and Statham, 57, will tie the knot soon, Huntington-Whiteley stated, “Maybe one day. It’s not something that’s ever been massively important to me. Throwing a big, fancy wedding is not something I feel is necessary at this point in my life. If we do, it will be low-key.”
Currently, the pair is focused on their children. They moved from Los Angeles to London in 2020 to raise Jack and Bella back in the U.K. and make their work-life balance a little easier.
She explained, “It was always part of the plan to raise the kids here. We love the schools, the education. They’re growing up British with their little British accents, which was important for us, and we have a great support system here. Jay’s parents live up the road and see the kids most days, my family come to visit every six or eight weeks, and in the summer we go down to Devon and our children have the same experiences running around on the farm that I had growing up, and it’s very special.”
Although returning home was initially an adjustment for her, the Mad Max: Fury Road star said, “I was very settled in L.A. and for a long time I missed the sunshine and the eternal optimism of Californians. But now I love it here.”
She added of Statham, “He was like, ‘I’m going to be away from you and the kids for big stretches [shooting movies]. If we move to London, I can make everything there.’ So that was a really big reason. He goes to work and comes home at the end of the day, which is pretty special for somebody in his line of work.”
Huntington-Whiteley also raved about Statham’s approach to parenting, calling him “a very involved and super-hands-on dad and such a supportive partner to me.”
“I call him the human playground because he’s constantly got the kids on his back, rolling around. He’s so playful. The man has insane amounts of energy, it’s boundless. He’s a big kid himself but also an upbeat reinforcement and positive influence on them, and incredibly attentive, loving and capable,” she added. “I feel lucky that I’m at work today and he’s with them and I don’t need to call and give him a list of things to do and remind him of this or that. And the kids adore him.”
When it comes to conquering parenting duties, the couple “both roll our sleeves up and get stuck in,” Huntington-Whiteley said, noting that they do school drop-offs on an electric bike that’s big enough for the whole family — “which is quite a sight, I’m sure!”
Still, the model insisted it’s usually just her or Statham at the helm: “In sweatpants, Alo gear and a messy bun.”
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On how motherhood has changed her, Huntington-Whiteley noted “things are not sitting where they used to. After both babies it took two years to feel fully back to normal, and even then it’s not normal, is it?”
Yet, she added, “Being a mum is challenging. You never know if you’re doing it right. The one thing I’ve learnt is [that] the journey is more important than the destination. The process has to be enjoyable because life is really short.”
