Actress Olivia Wilde addresses romance with singer Harry Styles for the first time

LOS ANGELES - American actress Olivia Wilde opens up about her romance with British singer Harry Styles for the first time, saying that she's "really happy".

In a cover interview in the January issue of Vogue, Wilde, 37, shared about her relationship with Styles, 27, which began in late 2020, without referring to him by name.

Styles has been similarly tight-lipped about the romance.

The couple has come under much scrutiny for their 10-year age difference, especially as the romance started not long after her split from former partner, Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis, in Nov 2020.

Wilde and Sudeikis, 46, were together for nine years and have two children, who are five and seven.

"It's obviously really tempting to correct a false narrative," she said in the Vogue interview. "But I think what you realise is that when you're really happy, it doesn't matter what strangers think about you. All that matters to you is what's real and what you love and who you love."

She added: "In the past 10 years, as a society, we have placed so much more value on the opinion of strangers rather than the people closest to us."

"I'm happier than I've ever been. And I'm healthier than I've ever been, and it's just wonderful to feel that," said the actress, who directed the upcoming thriller Don't Worry Darling, in which Styles has a starring role.

Wilde also obliquely addressed speculation that she neglected her children after the couple were spotted on a romantic summer holiday in Italy this year.

"Parenting forces you to be honest about how you live your life," she said. "It puts in sharp, clear focus the decisions you're making. I think we owe it to our children to be happy. They sense it. They're so intuitive. The idea that you can trick your kids into thinking you're happy is ludicrous."

She added: " "It's very easy to control women by using guilt and shame, and I have no time for misplaced guilt and shame."