Florence Pugh was forced to defend relationship with ex Zach Braff after 'nasty' trolling on their age gap

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Florence Pugh felt compelled to defend her relationship with Zach Braff amid intense public scrutiny. The couple, who dated from 2019 to 2022, faced backlash due to their 21-year age difference.

In a recent interview with British Vogue, the 28-year-old actress explained that while she preferred to keep her romance private, the negativity from online trolls became unbearable.

Florence Pugh says trolling over her relationship with ex Zach Braff became overwhelming

According to Fox News, "People were bullying me and bullying my partner," Pugh shared.

"Mine and Zach’s relationship was actually quite private until it was nasty, and I could see the toll that it was taking on him and us and our families, and that’s when I spoke out."

She emphasized her desire to protect those she loves, stating, "It’s not nice knowing that people are saying the worst things I’ve ever read about someone I love… I needed to talk about it."

Pugh acknowledged the pressures that come with being in the public eye. During their four-year relationship, she defended Braff multiple times.

In 2019, in response to an Instagram user who commented on the age gap, she remarked, "And yet he got it."

Pugh further addressed the public's comments in 2020, saying, "People have no right to educate me on my private life. It’s bizarre that normal folk are allowed to display such hate and opinions on a part of my life that I’m not putting out there."

Florence Pugh addresses online negativity

In April 2020, she shared a video for her followers discussing the negativity surrounding her love life, captioning it, "Being hateful is not trendy."

Since their split, Pugh and Braff maintain an amicable relationship. Regarding her current romantic life, Pugh hinted to British Vogue that she is seeing someone new but is keeping the details private.

"We are figuring out what we actually are," she said. "And I think, for the first time, I’m not allowing myself to go on a roller coaster. I’m allowing myself to take time to let something evolve and let it be completely real to its core, as opposed to racing into that."

She reflected on the challenges of love, noting, "Falling is the most amazing feeling, but, unfortunately, if that’s the only thing that you know in a relationship, then that’s the thing that you chase. That’s not gonna last."