Florence Pugh Says 'Bullying' Took Toll on Zach Braff Relationship

Florence Pugh has once again opened up about the public scrutiny over her relationship with actor and filmmaker Zach Braff, whom she dated from 2019 to 2022. Despite the fact that age-gap relationships are hardly unheard of in Hollywood, the 28-year-old actress and Braff, 49, faced exceptionally harsh backlash over their 20-plus year age difference.

Speaking with British Vogue about the intense media speculation surrounding the press tour for her 2022 psychological thriller Don't Worry Darling, over an alleged feud between herself and director Olivia Wilde, Pugh drew a parallel to her relationship with the Scrubs star. While she says she continues to avoid questions about the alleged drama with Wilde to this day, Pugh suggests that her hand was forced in defending the pair's relationship.

"I had to be public in the past because people were bullying me and bullying my partner," the Midsommar star explained, referring to Braff.

"Mine and Zach’s relationship was actually quite private until it was nasty, and I could see the toll that it was taking on him and us and our families," Pugh continued. "And that’s when I spoke out. I think for anyone I’m with, I want to protect them. It’s not nice knowing that people are saying the worst things I’ve ever read about someone that I love."

"So that was necessary. I needed to talk about it. I think any relationship in this limelight is going to be stressed," she added.

Pugh clapped back at haters a number of times during the three year relationship. Speaking with The Times in 2021, she expressed shock over the vitriol the couple received when she innocently wished Braff a happy 46th birthday on Instagram.

"It’s so weird to me to go on to someone’s page and s--t on it," she said at the time. "That’s so not my nature—to go and bully for the sake of bullying. It’s such an odd thing that we’ve become OK with in the past ten years of social media."

"It’s not that they don’t like you, I volunteer—isn’t it because you have a boyfriend who is 20 years older? I think it bugs people that it’s not who they expected," Pugh continued. "But it’s my life and I’m not doing anything to please people or to make it a better headline or story. I want to also be a person!"

As far as who she's dating now, Pugh admits that she's currently in a relationship, but unsurprisingly remained tight-lipped about that person's identity.

"We are figuring what we actually are. And I think for the first time, I’m not allowing myself to go on a roller-coaster," she told the publication. "I’m allowing myself to take time to let something evolve and let it be completely real to its core, as opposed to racing into that."