Mick Jagger couldn’t have been prouder as he and Melanie Hamrick put their love on display over awards season and a source exclusively tells Closer they’ve entered a bolder, more open chapter of their romance after years of being timid and avoiding the spotlight.
“Mick has always been impossible to pin down, but with Melanie, it just works,” the insider says. “She’s never tried to change him, she lets him do his thing, and respects that he’s his own man.”
The rock and roll icon, 81, and his girlfriend, who is 44 years his junior, have been together for nearly a decade. They first met in 2014, when Melanie was a professional ballerina performing with the American Ballet Theatre during a Rolling Stones tour stop in Japan. Their romance began quietly and stayed largely out of the public eye, but they steadily built a life together and in 2016 they welcomed their son, Deveraux, now 8, who is Mick’s eighth kid.
“Of course they have their son, Deveraux, that definitely solidified things between them,” the insider continues, adding that completing their small family “gave them this shared focus,” and is a key factor in them staying together for so long.
And Melanie is in for the long haul. The source notes the former dancer is keen on keeping her man healthy now that he’s an octogenarian and does so with a delicate touch.
“Funnily enough she has actually inspired him to get way healthier,” the insider explains, “but she did it by example, not pressure.”
Despite the four-decade age gap between the legendary singer, who is known to be one of the industry’s biggest playboys, and his 37-year-old girlfriend, friends close to the couple say their relationship is based on mutual respect.
“If you think about others’ opinions, no matter where you are in life, you’re going to have a problem and you’re going to analyze it,” the dancer told The Times in September 2024. And Mick loves the idea that she has her own career and excels at her work.
“Don’t forget she was working as a professional ballerina when she and Mick met,” the source says. “She’s retired from dancing and is now working as a choreographer. She’s very much her own woman with her own life and passions that don’t revolve around him and Mick respects that so much.”
The First Position author is keen to keep their relationship as quiet as possible, which Mick is also a fan of. Though, they have been getting more confident in their appearances lately and stepping out more and more. Fans caught a glimpse of the couple out and about on a rare date night before the Oscars in February, attending the Chanel and Charles Finch’s gathering at the Beverly Hills Hotel’s Polo Lounge in Los Angeles.
“She’s also very publicity shy, she’s not in this for fame or attention and that is a massive draw for Mick.” the source explains. “There’s no need for big public displays, he never worries about being used.