British Influencer Tasha Newcombe, 21, Defends Dating a 16-Year-Old

British influencer Tasha Newcombe is doubling down there’s nothing untoward about her relationship with a teenager … saying her 16-year-old beau doesn’t act his age.

Tasha and her new boyfriend, Marko Vituk, hopped on “The BlueTick Show,” where they addressed their 5-year age gap … and clapped back at folks who felt she crossed the line by a mile.

As Marko put it … Tasha first came on his radar after she liked a handful of his Instagram posts … prompting him to slide into her DMs. Tasha didn’t realize his age at first and was wary about continuing to talk after learning he was only a teen.

Marko said he was persistent, and convinced Tasha to go out with him … so they grabbed a bite to eat and hit up the cinema.

Now, Tasha is happy she agreed to the date … she defended their relationship, saying Marko acts more mature than other 16-year-olds. And this is important — the legal age of consent in the UK is 16.

She added … “I don’t obsess over his age like everyone else does. Everyone else is so obsessed with his age, and they’re like … ‘You like younger men.’ It’s like no, I just don’t factor in his age.”

Still, Tasha said she isn’t in denial about their age gap … she understands why people are weirded out by their romance. However, she doesn’t appreciate being accused of grooming Marko … as she emphasized he pursued her first.

Marko also hit back at the allegations he’s being taken advantage of, noting on the pod … “F**k that! I’m not being groomed.”

We’re not sure the peanut gallery online would agree.