British influencer Tasha Newcombe insists there is nothing unusual about her relationship with a teenager… and says her 16-year-old boyfriend is acting beyond his age.

Tasha and her new boyfriend, Marko Vitukwent on “The BlueTick Show,” where they addressed their five-year age difference… and clapped back at people who thought she went miles too far.

As Marko put it… Tasha first popped up on his radar after she liked some of his Instagram posts… which prompted him to send her direct messages. Tasha was initially unaware of his age and was skeptical to continue talking to him after learning he was just a teenager.

Marko said he was persistent and convinced Tasha to go out with him…so they had something to eat and went to the movies.

Now Tasha is glad she agreed to the date… She defended their relationship, saying Marko was acting more maturely than other 16-year-olds. And that’s important – the legal age of consent in the UK is 16.

She added: “I don’t worry about his age as much as everyone else. Everyone else is so obsessed with his age and then says, ‘You like younger men.’ No, I just don’t take his age into consideration.”

Still, Tasha said she doesn’t deny their age difference… she understands why their romance upsets people. However, she doesn’t like being accused of abusing Marko… as she stressed he went after her first.

Marko also hit back at accusations that he was being taken advantage of, noting on the capsule: “Fuck it! I am not being manipulated.”