The romance with Zach Braff was ‘private until it became dirty’

Florence Pugh made rare statements about her relationship with ex-boyfriend Zach Braff.

The 28-year-old actress spoke in an interview with British Vogue on Wednesday about her relationship with Braff, 49, and the criticism they’ve received over their 21-year age difference.

“I’ve had to come out in public in the past because people bullied me and my partner,” said Pugh, who was in a relationship with the “Scrubs” star from 2019 to 2022.

“My relationship with Zach was actually pretty private until it got nasty, and I could see the toll it was taking on him and us and our families,” the Oscar nominee explained. “And that’s when I spoke out.”

Pugh continued, “I think I want to protect whoever I’m with. It’s not nice to know that people are saying the worst things I’ve ever read about someone that I love. So that was necessary. I had to talk about it. I think any relationship in this spotlight is going to be stressful.”

The couple started dating after working together on the 2019 short film “It Takes Time to Get There.”

Their age difference led to negative reactions from internet trolls on social media, forcing Pugh to defend the romance in April 2020 after she shared a birthday greeting to Braff that prompted negative reactions.

“Within about eight minutes of the photo being posted, about 70 people in the comments had said insults and horrible comments, basically bullying someone on my page,” she said in an Instagram video at the time.

“I would never, ever, ever tell anyone in my life who they can and cannot love,” Pugh also said. “It’s not your place. And it really has nothing to do with you. The abuse you’re throwing at him is the abuse you’re throwing at me.”

Braff addressed the “Midsommar” actress’ decision to defend him in a November 2020 interview.

“She literally sat down, hit record on her phone and said that,” he revealed. “I thought, how can I follow something as intelligent and eloquent as that? So I chose not to.”

Despite their 2022 split, Braff and Florence have remained friends. Braff said on SiriusXM’s “The Jess Cagle Show” last year that the exes still “love each other” and are “friends.”

Pugh told British Vogue that she is in a new relationship, but she did not reveal who her mystery man is.

“Okay, so something that I resonate with is that I believe that if magic is real, it’s falling in love,” she shared. “And I’m someone who loves falling in love. I love taking care of people. I love taking care of people. I love feeling like someone is there. I love knowing that someone is thinking of me and that someone cares about me in the same way that I feel like I care about them.”

“I think in this part of my life I’m trying to make sure I make the right decisions so I can get what I want… and that’s safety, family, a home and security,” the “Oppenheimer” star continued, adding that she and her new husband are “trying to figure out who we really are.”

“And I think for the first time, I’m not allowing myself to get on a roller coaster,” she said. “I’m giving myself time to let something evolve and be completely real to the core, rather than racing into it right away.”