A woman who is dating a man 18 years her junior has said she is fed up of being mistaken for his mother - and insists that she is not a cougar because he pursued her.

Cree Ingles, 49, met Aaron Johnson, 31, while visiting another neighbour in the building they both live in Eugene, Oregon, in the US.

They quickly hit it off after exchanging numbers and even slept together just hours after meeting - despite Aaron having a girlfriend at the time.

Also read:

The pair, neither of whom work due to disabilities, have now been together for seven years. They insist their relationship isn't just about sex and took part in a handfasting ceremony - a form of pagan wedding -  in September last year before having a commitment ceremony last month on their anniversary.

But despite their happiness, Cree complains that she's mistaken for her partner's mother 'about three times a month', but admits: 'I'm used to it.'

Aaron initially lived three doors down from Cree on the floor above, but once a unit beside her flat became available he moved in next door.

Although both of their families have been accepting of their relationship, the pair face judgement from outsiders - with some even calling Cree a 'cougar'.

Cree said: 'I don't claim the title of cougar because he came after me, with a vengeance. I thought I was just messing around with the neighbour kid when he went there and made it obvious he was interested in me.

'I have been in previous relationships where my partners have been 10 years younger (one male, one female) but I have also been in relationships with people older than me as well.

'

At first it felt weird because I felt like everybody was judging me, but now we just go about our day and don't worry about it.

'Some people do assume that I'm his mum but we both quickly let them know that we are together.

'We have been in funny situations because the people are so embarrassed, or they are just flat out rude and stop speaking to us after we say we're together.

'That's really their issue and not ours. Love is love. Love is hard enough to find without putting restrictions on it.

'It's nobody's business what you do behind closed doors, and if they want to make it their business they need to look inside their own lives and fix their issues before judging others.'

Credits: daily Mail