Jamie Strachan, Dakota Fanning
Actress Dakota Fanning and her boyfriend, model Jamie Strachan, take in a game at Madison Square Garden in New York, Jan. 26, 2014. Reuters

Dakota Fanning’s boyfriend, Jamie Strachan, may be 13 years her senior, but that doesn’t seem to bother the former child star. After one year together, the 20-year-old “War of the Worlds" actress opened up about her romance with Strachan, 33, with the Times of London, calling their relationship “special.”

“I’m super happy,” Fanning said, as reported by the Daily Mail. “I think love is very important, and it’s really fun to have someone to experience things with. It makes everything a bit more special.” Despite getting some criticism from fans for their noticeable age difference, Fanning said the gap doesn’t faze her.

“People love who they love, and you go with that,” she said. “People get so stuck in rules for life. You go with what feels right.”

And who is Jamie Strachan? He's no household name like his acting belle, but Strachan has made a name for himself in the world of fashion. In the past decade, he has worked alongside big names such as Calvin Klein, Gucci, Michael Kors and Hugo Boss as an “established” model, according to his profile in New York magazine. Before Fanning, the British native was linked to Victoria’s Secret model Behati Prinsloo, who is now singer and “The Voice” judge Adam Levine’s wife.

Dakota Fanning, Jamie Strachan
Actress Dakota Fanning and her boyfriend, British model Jamie Strachan, watch the U.S. Open tennis championships in New York in September 2013. Reuters

Fanning was first linked to Strachan in July 2013, when they were spotted walking hand-in-hand in New York City. The couple subtly confirmed their romance last September after photographers caught them getting cozy at the U.S. Open tennis championships.

Despite some naysayers, the couple could be headed for holy matrimony if Fanning's March 2013 interview with Glamour magazine is any indication.

“I don't really date. I have a weird vision of relationships because my parents have known each other since second grade and they got married right out of college,” she said. “I’ve always thought that’s what it’s supposed to be like, and if it’s not, then I don’t want to waste my time on it. Even when I was 14, I was like, ‘I’m not going to marry this person? What’s the point of doing it?’ It’s not me being naive. I just know what it’s supposed to be like and I think until I feel that, I cannot be bothered.”