Sarah Paulson has hit out at those who question her romance with Holland Taylor

She said: “I don’t remember people going nuts about Michael Douglas and Catherine-Zeta Jones, in terms of their age difference.

“For me, that seems to be the predominant interest in my relationship with Holland, what would be perceived by some as the strangeness of it, or the unlikelihood of it. I think people are fascinated by it, because it’s so not typical.

“Except for if you look around at plenty of well-known or recognisable couples, when they’re heterosexual couples, it just runs rampant, and I don’t see anybody becoming obsessed by those relationships.”

But the 45-year-old actress says she doesn’t mind her romance being discussed by the public if it allows other people to learn to accept different kinds of love.

She added: “If it allows for more freedom, in terms of the way people think about what’s possible for them, then I’m all for the fandom of it and the excitement around it and the interest in it.”

And although her romance with Holland has been a source of inspiration to some, Sarah also admits there are people who have said “horrifying things” to her online because of her sexuality.

Speaking to The Observer newspaper, she explained: “What I don’t love, which is sort of a consequence of it being such public knowledge, is that there is discussion about it at all. Believe me, there have been plenty of young people on the internet who have tweeted horrifying things to me about it, and who don’t support it and who are so cruel. So it’s just a bit of a dance. But one I try to not let into my brain too often.”