Dennis Quaid Defends Age Gap Between Him and Fiancée: 'You Have No Control Over' Who You Love

Dennis Quaid remains unfazed by comments surrounding the 39-year age difference between him and his fiancée Laura Savoie.

The 65-year-old actor — who proposed to Savoie, 26, last month — was recently profiled by The Guardian where he opened about receiving criticism for dating a younger woman.

“That was really a laugh,” he told the outlet about gaining so much attention over their relationship, admitting, “I thought it was wonderful, actually.”

He continued to reveal that despite some of the harmful comments Quaid has heard about the couple, the two don’t take it personally.

“No, it really doesn’t bother us,” he said. “Everyone comes from the perspective of their own life and so I can’t comment on the way they feel; I can’t even get angry.”

The Parent Trap actor — who coincidentally plays a 44-year-old who gets engaged to a 26-year-old woman in the film — explained that it wasn’t his intention to find someone Savoie’s age.

“I didn’t go out looking for an age gap or someone really younger than me. I met her at a business event and then the relationship developed,” he shared.

“You have no control over who you fall in love with. I don’t fall in love easy. But I can’t let what a few people think control all that. I’ve been married three times and this is the final one, I know it is. I feel like I have a real partner in life.”

Until recently, Quaid was dating longtime girlfriend Santa Auzina, whom he was last photographed with in December 2018. The former pair, who were together for a little over two years, began dating after the actor split from his wife of 12 years, Kimberly Buffington in 2016.

The former pair finalized their divorce in April 2018. In the agreement, they share joint physical custody of their twins Thomas Boone and Zoe Grace, both 11, but Buffington was awarded 75 percent of their time.

The actor was also previously married to actress Meg Ryan, with whom he has a 27-year-old son Jack. Their 10-year marriage ended in divorce in 2001.

Before that, the father of three was married to actress P.J. Soles from 1978-83.

In late October, Quaid proposed to Savoie in Hawaii after several months of dating, the actor confirmed to Extra.

Just weeks later, the actor revealed to Entertainment Tonight that he plans to be a married man within the year.

“You’ve got a year, right?” Quaid explained. “And if you go past a year without getting married, then you’re suspect. That’s basic etiquette.”

The actor shared with the outlet that the couple’s wedding planning began “the next minute” after he popped the question to Savoie.

“I think she’s looking at wedding dresses today,” Quaid said to ET of his soon-to-be wife. “She’s gotta get started.”

The actor — who stars in the upcoming Netflix sitcom, Merry Happy Whatever — previously shared that the engagement had come as a surprise to Savoie.

“I had the ring in my pocket. It has been kind of a month-and-a-half plan — I wanted it to be private,” Dennis had toldExtra of the “sunset” proposal. “She was actually taking a selfie of us, and I put the ring in front and said, ‘Will you marry me?’ And then she fell down.”

“It happened on the very northernmost point of Oahu, at Turtle Bay. It was kind of spontaneous. It was very much a surprise,” he added.

The pair had been dating for a number of months before their engagement. Savoie, who is originally from St. Louis, Missouri, is currently working towards her Ph.D. in accounting at the University of Texas at Austin and expects to graduate in 2021.