Sparks flew when “Age of Attraction” stars Theresa DeMaria and John Merrill met, but one major obstacle stood in their way: a 27-year age difference.
Theresa, 54, didn’t realize that her new beau was 27 years old until they decided to commit to each other early on in the dating experiment.
After moving in together, reality set in and the couple had to navigate the opinions of their family and friends. Theresa was concerned about how her children, who are close in age to John, would react.
Like other “Age of Attraction” couples, Theresa and John spent a few weeks building their connection in the real world then had to decide whether they’d stay together or not.
In the Season 1 finale, Theresa kept John (and viewers) guessing as she weighed the pros and cons of staying together. The mother of three tells TODAY.com she wasn’t “100% sure” of what her decision would be when she met up with John that day.
“I was probably leaning more towards, ‘Yes, I want to continue,’” she says. “I had without a doubt started to develop feelings for John.”
Theresa says she was relying on John to give her the “reassurance” she needed in that moment before she made her final decision.
“I could see that he was definitely distraught and upset when he saw me sort of wavering, and that bothered me because obviously I’m very empathetic and I don’t want to hurt anybody. And I could feel how much he did really care for me and how much he really wanted to move forward. So that was kind of the reassurance that I got,” she says.
After reading John a letter that her children had written him, Theresa “solidified” her decision to move forward with their relationship.
What happened after the show stopped filming and where does their relationship stand today? Theresa’s filling us in below.
Why Did Theresa and John Break Up?
After committing to each other in the Season 1 finale, Theresa and John broke up in the fall of 2025.
“We’re not together romantically right now. We ended up breaking up last fall,” she says.
Theresa says “communication issues” were at the center of their breakup and notes that “distance definitely does not help.”
“I was feeling very insecure about our age difference and everything. There were a couple sort of moments that happened where I needed his reassurance and didn’t really get it,” she says.
After breaking up, the former couple didn’t talk for “30 to 60 days” and were “very hostile” with each other.
“I think that always comes from a place of hurt when you really care for someone,” Theresa says.
Flash forward to Thanksgiving and the exes began talking again as friends.
“I think we both really care about each other still, and we will always care about each other. We went through this experience together and it was authentic,” Theresa says.
Looking ahead, Theresa says she’s not sure what the future holds.
“It could go either way, but I think as of right now I’m pretty confident in saying we’re not together. I don’t know that we will get back together,” she says.
Theresa’s Approach to Dating Now
This wasn’t the first time Theresa has dated a younger man, hence her reservations about other people’s opinions about her relationship.
“I had had that scrutiny of the double standard and everything, and so I was kind of preparing myself for that,” she explains.
Instead, Theresa has been pleasantly surprised by people’s reactions to the show.
“I’m not getting as much hate over it as I had expected. And I don’t know if that’s because they could see so much of the authenticity in my relationship with John. But I’m so happy that I’m experiencing what it is, which is women are being more empowered, and I’m just so happy about it,” she says.
Even Theresa’s own children weren’t phased by the age difference.
“They didn’t really react very much. My youngest was the only one that really was like, ‘Oh my God.’ I mean, they all had that, ‘Oh my God’ sort of initial reaction because I mean, how could you not?’” she says.
Theresa does say that her youngest son has been “struggling” a little bit with the “optics” of her televised relationship with John.
“His friends from college, and I think some of them from high school are sending him messages, maybe teasing him a little bit. His mom is this like quasi-famous person now in this weird sort of dynamic, and so he just is trying to figure out how to navigate it,” she says.
After breaking up with John, Theresa hasn’t dated anyone else. In fact, she’s been intentional about staying single for the time being.
“I put a hold on dating, since I just didn’t know what was going to happen with the show. I just didn’t have it in me either, honestly,” she explains.
Still, that doesn’t mean she isn’t dreaming of finding someone special one day.
“I really want to find my person. I will find my person,” she says.
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