Mumbai, August 14: In a recent interview on The Blue Tick Show, hosted by YouTuber Mikey Melin, 21-year-old British Tiktok influencer Tasha Newcombe defended her relationship with 16-year-old Australian boyfriend Marko Vituk. Newcombe's response to criticism sparked backlash from the public on August 12. Noting that Tasha was an adult while Marko was only a “minor”, netizens labelled the relationship "insane", since legal age for consensual sex varies between 16 and 17 years across Australian states and territories. So, many of her 2,70,000 followers struggled to understand if this was even legal.

The Kent-born influencer reacted to the backlash. Knowing that the legal age of consent in the UK was 16, Tasha said, "If I decide I want to be in a relationship with him, I can because it is legal. Whether you think it’s morally right or not, it is legal." She further added about her relationship with Vituk, "I am in a relationship with someone who’s five years younger than me and I know a lot of people are gonna have their opinions on that and quite rightly so, you’re allowed to have your opinions, that’s your free will." TikTok Layoffs: ByteDance-Owned Video Hosting Platform Cuts Hundreds of African Jobs Amid Its Restructuring Exercise, Says Report.

Tasha Newcombe With Boyfriend Marko Vituk

 

 

 

 

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Tasha Newcombe Reacts to Flak on Her Relationship

Tasha went on to say that the negative comments do not bother her and that people who do not agree to their relationship can just unfollow or block her if they don't wish to see it. “Is it affecting your life? No. Me and my boyfriend are in a very beautiful, loving, happy and healthy relationship and the fact that people are sitting there, worried and throwing such serious accusations at me, is sick and twisted,” she said in the interview. Dating Apps Selling Data: 80% of Online Dating App Might Share or Sell Your Personal Data for Advertising, Says Report.

However, Newcombe also mentioned how she not only lost followers on TikTok, but also that people close to her dissociated themselves with her. Her best friend of 11 years was allegedly unhappy with Newcombe's romance with Vituk and condemned it saying, "I just can’t be associated with you." Tasha reacted, saying, "I completely lost my best friend for being with Marko... But yeah, she fully cut me off. It’s kind of petty."

'The Blue Tick Show' Interview of Tasha Newcombe

These nonchalant remarks by Tasha Newcombe have only added fuel to the fire and drew further criticism from people. Netizens on Tiktok (as reported by NYPost) wrote comments like, "How does she not see it’s wrong when even her friends are cutting her off," and "He's only just finished his school exams". "Do you have to ask his mum if he can come out," asked another user.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 14, 2024 07:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).