EXCLUSIVE: Mel Gibson, 70, 'Broke Promise to Himself to Date Woman Half His Age' by Hooking Up With New 44-Year-Old Actress Lover

Mel Gibson is said to have broken his promise to pursue women in their 30s after the 70-year-old actor was photographed kissing and cuddling Italian actress Antonella Salvucci, 44, during an affectionate night out in Rome that ended with a moonlit stroll through the Italian capital.

RadarOnline.com can reveal the grizzled Lethal Weapon star was in the city finishing work on The Resurrection of the Christ: Part One, his long-awaited follow-up to The Passion of the Christ, when he was seen dining with Salvucci before the pair toured some of Rome's best-known landmarks together.

Gibson and Salvucci shared kisses outside the seafood restaurant Micalusi Real Fish, held hands while walking through the streets, and later stopped at the Zodiac panoramic viewpoint and the Fontanone fountain on Gianicolo Hill. Despite the hook-up, sources say Gibson is currently single and had merely been saying goodbye to a friend before returning to the United States.

Gibson was spotted on his date night following his split from longtime partner Rosalind Ross, 35, which the actor confirmed in December 2025 after the pair had reportedly separated a year earlier.

A source close to the actor told us: "Mel had been joking that if he ever dated again after Rosalind, he would probably end up with somebody in their 30s because he likes youthful energy and adventure.

"That is why friends are teasing him now because Antonella is glamorous and younger than him, but she is not exactly the age range he once talked about."

Another source said, "He absolutely looked captivated by her all night. Whatever this relationship is, people around Mel think he has clearly thrown his old rules out the window."

Photographs from the outing in Italy showed Gibson dressed casually in a white button-down shirt, jeans, a baseball cap, and Crocs, while Salvucci wore a fitted brown leather jumpsuit paired with a pink handbag.

At one point during the evening, the pair paused to gaze up at the night sky together before continuing their walk around the city.

Salvucci, who previously worked as a fashion model and television presenter, is best known for roles in horror films including The Beginning: Feel the Dead and Nightmare Symphony, along with the TV movie Shelter.

Earlier this year, she revealed during an appearance on the Italian television program Storie di donne al bivio that she once experienced 'love at first sight' with actor Sean Penn, after meeting him in Los Angeles.

The Rome outing came just weeks after reports Gibson had been left devastated by the death of actress Nadia Fares, who died in Paris at 57 following complications from a swimming pool accident.

Fares had starred opposite Gibson in the 2022 thriller On The Line and had recently visited him on the Rome set of The Resurrection of the Christ before her death.

According to reports, Fares was found unconscious in a luxury gym swimming pool on April 11 and died six days later at Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital after suffering cardiac arrest.

Gibson, who became a Hollywood powerhouse through movies including Braveheart and Mad Max, shares nine children with three women.

He and Ross share a nine-year-old son, Lars, while Gibson was previously married to Robyn Moore for 31 years.

The famously fiery star also later dated Russian musician Oksana Grigorieva following their separation.