Supervet star Noel Fitzpatrick, 57, has raised eyebrows and been branded ‘gross’ after revealing he is looking for a woman in her 30s to have children with.
The TV personality and trained vet said in a new interview that he hadn’t felt ‘emotionally ready’ to become a father until recently.
While promoting his first picture book for children, Noel shared his hope to start a family.
‘I’m 57, and I would love to meet somebody between 30 and 40 and have a kid. Or a couple of kids. I love kids and I loved doing my book for kids,’ he told The Times.
He also shared that it was a rather new development that he’d decided he wanted to become a father.
‘I think I’d be a good daddy because I’ve got good morals. I was never properly, emotionally ready, until recently.’
However, his comments have been met with backlash as people were left shocked that he could be looking so openly for a woman nearly half his age.
‘Noel Fitzpatrick here saying the quiet part out loud,’ tweeted Rachel Charlton-Dailey alongside a screengrab of the piece’s title, which read: ‘Noel Patrick, 57: I’d love to meet a woman in her thirties and have a kid.’
‘Is Noel aware of his own age? If a 57yr old woman announced she wanted a kid she would be called all the selfish old cows under the sun,’ responded @_hexbomb.
‘Men proving their emotional immaturity and their willingness to just dump that problem on women, as per usual,’ seethed Katie, while @NatashaNonBuono added: ‘Oh it’s totally a woman in her early to mid-30s too. Gross.’
‘Maybe he should grow up,’ suggested Sean, while Sarah Correia simply posted: ‘How pathetic.’
‘Lol I’d love to meet someone young enough to be my daughter so she can bear me many children,’ read another tweet.
However, some defended Noel, pointing out that he would need a younger partner if he wanted to biologically become a dad.
‘Yeah, but a woman in her 30s knows her own mind and isn’t naive and gullible. If you specifically want a family at his age, you don’t choose a partner in her 40s – I had menopause in my 40s (sister had hers in her 30s though!)’ pointed out @EdanaThe2nd.
Noel’s love life is also famously linked to a piece of musical folklore, as it’s often reported that Britney Spears’ hit Toxic was allegedly inspired by him.
The track was co-written by Cathy Dennis, who also wrote Can’t Get You Out of My Head for Kylie Minogue, and I Kissed A Girl for Katy Perry.
Cathy is understood to have dated Noel in the early 2000s when he was a veterinarian and an aspiring actor, with the 2003 song co-penned by her the same year she broke up with the man who would become the nation’s most popular vet.
Social media sporadically comes alive with this long-standing rumour, but the orthopaedic-neuro veterinary surgeon was previously put on the spot about it himself when appearing on This Morning.
Holly Willoughby asked the animal doctor if he had anything to do with the lyrics that go: ‘I need a hit, baby, give me it. You’re dangerous, I’m loving it.’
She was chatting to him via video link when she said: ‘Are you who that song is written about? Is it you? Please say yes.’
Noel responded with: ‘You may have to ask Kylie Minogue whether I Can’t Get You Out Of My Head is written about me.’
Elsewhere in the new interview, Noel revealed that his veterinary clinic was making a financial loss.
‘We’re open seven days a week, 24/7, and we are hurting. I’m just trying to survive as a veterinary practice,’ he explained.
But he also spun his commitment to his work above all else into a positive for a potential partner, as he admitted it could be ‘hard’ if he was ‘late for the 15th time to a restaurant we’ve booked’.
‘There are two big advantages I have in a relationship. One: I’m all in or I’m not in at all. Two: you’ll always know where I am,’ he reasoned.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
