Melanie Hamrick, a 37-year-old former ballerina and longtime girlfriend of Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, 81, has spoken out about their 44-year age difference, telling critics to “mind their own business.” Hamrick and Jagger have been together for nine years, but she says the age gap is something she doesn’t focus on.
In a recent interview with The Times, Hamrick shared her thoughts on handling public scrutiny about their relationship. “I don’t think about it. Everyone’s going to have their opinion,” she said. “If you think about others’ opinions, no matter where you are in life, you’re going to have a problem, and you’re going to analyze it.”
Hamrick explained that her happiness and the well-being of those close to her are what truly matter. “I put the blinders on. Am I happy? Yes. Are the people in my life happy? Yes. Am I hurting anyone? No. OK, they can mind their own business,” she added.
The couple first met in 2014 backstage at a Rolling Stones concert in Tokyo, Japan, just a month before the tragic death of Jagger’s longtime partner, fashion designer L’Wren Scott. Despite the timing, Hamrick says she wasn’t starstruck by Jagger. “Ballet dancers meet some of the biggest stars and act, like, ‘Who are you?’ Because, to us, ballet dancers are the gods,” she said.
The two welcomed their son, Deveraux “Devi” Octavian Basil Jagger, in 2016, making him Jagger’s eighth child. Jagger has seven other children from previous relationships, including with Marsha Hunt, Bianca Jagger, Jerry Hall, and Luciana Gimenez Morad.
Hamrick, who had a 16-year career with the American Ballet Theatre in New York, credits Jagger for encouraging her to write her debut novel, First Position, which was released last year. Her second book, The Unraveling, is set to be released in late September.
Reflecting on Jagger’s support for her creative pursuits, Hamrick recalled, “I was, like, ‘I want to write a book. I want to write a book.’ And then, finally, he said, ‘Oh my God, write the book!’”
