Heidi Klum Defends Her Relationship With Younger Boyfriend: 'It's Not About Age'

— -- Heidi Klum has said that although her boyfriend Vito Schnabel is 13 years her junior, she is not a cougar.

"It’s not about age," she told Ocean Drive in its December issue. "We have an amazing connection, we have fun together, and we love each other."

Klum, 43, and Schnabel, 30, who is an art curator and dealer, began dating in 2014.

"It doesn’t matter what people say," she continued about her relationship. "As long as you know when you close your door in your own home, you have an amazing time together. That’s really all that matters."

The "Project Runway" host also said in the magazine that although the two are photographed together a lot, it doesn't mean she prefers public displays of affection.

"I’m not doing PDA on the beach with tons of people," Klum clarified. "I go on a boat or I take a hike somewhere. If you would zoom out in the places where I’m with my boyfriend, there’s nobody there."

"Unfortunately, paparazzi always follow us in a helicopter or they hang behind a bush or a boat and they come up with scuba gear. But to the outside world, it looks like we’re frolicking on the beach having a show in front of everyone," she said.

Despite their age difference, Klum said the two have a lot of shared interests, such as their love of art.

"Art [and math] were my majors in school," she said. "I have always loved to paint. Being involved with someone who is so good at this, [Schnabel] is an amazing teacher of all that is new now."

She added that she now learns "more about contemporary art [and] cultures."