If you’re a long-time gossip reader, you might recognize the name Richard Lugner. He’s an Austrian billionaire and he owns a chain of department stores and malls in Europe. He’s also somewhat famous for paying high-profile celebrity women to accompany him every year to the Vienna Opera Ball. In the past, he’s paid Carmen Electra, Paris Hilton, Pamela Anderson and Kim Kardashian to be his “date” for the evening, plus make one appearance at his Viennese mall. Kim K. was his date last year and the whole thing was a massive catastrophe (Kim still made $500K out of it though). So why this trip down memory lane? Well, Lugner is 82 years old. And he recently married a 25-year-old Playboy model named Cathy Schmitz. They just gave a joint interview where they discussed their marriage, and how she TOTALLY did not marry him for his money. So classy.

A couple with a 57-year age gap have insisted that they married for love but admit that they both have concerns about their relationship. Richard Lugner, 82, wed German TV presenter and former Playboy model Cathy Schmitz, 25, last September after a brief courtship that lasted just seven months. It is the fifth marriage for the Austrian billionaire and he admits the path to marital bliss has already been rocky.

He told This Morning: ‘We have to learn to be married.’

The successful businessman had previously sworn off marriage forever after his fourth divorce, but admits that Cathy managed to change his mind after they started dating last February. The couple were engaged in August and married a month later.

He said: ‘I had been married four times, and when I met Cathy I had been divorced for seven years. I didn’t want to get married ever again.’

Despite his misgivings, Cathy managed to change his mind, but Richard admits that he is still very fearful that his new wife is more interested in his bank balance than his personality.

He said: ‘I am always worried. Ladies are very dangerous – to be married is dangerous. ‘(But) I like to fight with the young ladies. It’s better for me.’

Cathy, who was trying to make her name as TV presenter in Germany before she crossed paths with the billionaire, admits that she loves the luxury lifestyle that comes with being Richard’s wife, but that it isn’t the reason she married him.

She said: ‘When we met I thought he was a nice guy. I knew he was rich, I am from Germany – he is very famous person. Of course it’s nice to life a luxury life. But it’s not very important to me. Before I met him I was pushing my own career on the television. But I had to make a decision between love and my career. (And) I am not the first woman that is much younger than him – none of his wives were as old as him.’

While many would struggle to understand what an octogenarian and a woman in her twenties could have in common, Cathy maintains that it is a match made in heaven.

She said: ‘I have a good teacher as he has been married four times before. I dated a lot of young boys – they are only looking out for themselves. They like football and many women. I have a lot of fun with him (but also)I have a six-year-old daughter to look after – I need a man.’

[From The Daily Mail]

Just for the record, this might be my favorite story of the week. An 82-year-old meets a 25-year-old wannabe TV presenter and even though he’s been married and divorced four times and he’s sworn off marriage completely, she convinces him to marry her. And she swears up and down that money is “not important” to her. Where to even start? First off, I’m going to need the receipts on Cathy being “25”. And she has a six year old daughter, which either means she got started young or… an 82 year old billionaire accidently married a 30-something golddigger. And yes, ladies and gentlemen, she IS a golddigger. And he’s an old perv. Why can’t they just own that? What would be so wrong with saying, “Eh, I’m an old man and I want someone young, blonde and perky by my side” and for her to say, “Eh, I have a kid to think about, and he buys me nice clothes.”

Photos courtesy of WENN.