Educating Yorkshire headteacher, 53, hits back after being labelled ‘groomer’ with younger girlfriend
He's been called a 'dirty old man' for dating a 25-year-old.
Educating Yorkshire headmaster Jonny Mitchell has fired back after being branded a ‘paedophile’ for his new relationship.
The TV star rose to fame in 2013 when the Channel 4 docuseries began, filming the antics of students at Thornhill Community Academy in Dewsbury.
At the time, Mr Mitchell was married to wife Lisa and lived with her and their three children. However, more than a decade later, his life looks very different.
The 53-year-old split from Lisa in 2014, and he’s now dating 25-year-old Abi McMahon, a former police officer whom he met at a bar in Leeds in September 2021.
They got talking after she accidentally spilt her drink on him and, from there, they grew close and went on a string of dates.
Fast forward to now, and Abi, a blogger, lives with Jonny in his rented cottage in Huddersfield, often sharing insights into their relationship on her TikTok page.
Jonny was previously married to wife Lisa, and they lived together with three children (Picture: Steve Meddle/Shutterstock) He left Thornhill Community Academy in 2015 (Picture: Rory Mulvey)However, things aren’t so happy and cosy all the time, as Jonny found out when the internet became aware of his romance.
Speaking to The Sun, he revealed the allegations that have been made against him after falling for someone almost 30 years his junior.
‘I’ve been branded a paedophile, a groomer, a dirty old man, and far worse,’ said Jonny.
‘I never thought I’d fall in love again, let alone with a woman so much younger than me, but you can’t legislate who you meet.’
Abi chimed in with similar experiences, adding: ‘I’ve been labelled online as a gold digger, an embarrassment, and the worst was one who told me to kill myself.
‘People will think I must have daddy issues—I definitely don’t. I want people to simply not judge others so quickly.’
He met former police officer Abi McMahon, 25, on a night out in Leeds (Picture: TikTok) The couple have fired back at critics of their almost 30-year age gap (Picture: TikTok)Ex-teacher Jonny is now semi-retired, and he insists that his marriage broke down a long time ago, explaining that he and Lisa would’ve split sooner if not for their young children.
He and Abi have been together for four years. She would’ve been in Year 9 when her boyfriend was a popular face on a Bafta-winning TV show, but she went to school in Nottingham, where she grew up.
On social media, the couple have repeatedly stressed that their relationship is perfectly ‘normal’.
In one Q&A about their age difference, Abi said that being together has taught them that ‘love has no limits’, while Jonny echoed that ‘you can’t help who you fall for’.
‘You meet people from all different walks of life, all different circumstances, and you either click or you don’t,’ he said. ‘And it shouldn’t really make a massive difference how old that person is.’
‘If you’re with someone older, people instantly think it’s for money,’ Abi shared, to which Jonny laughed: ‘That’s definitely not true; for money, she’s picked the wrong guy.’
@abs_mxoQuestions we’ve been asked about our 28 year age gap relationship ???? #agegapcouple #dailyvlogs #doyouagree #whatdoyouthink
♬ original sound – AbiThe two have also received plenty of support from Abi’s 24,000 followers, with other people in age-gap relationships offering words of encouragement.
‘Age is just a number! There’s 20 years between me and my husband, been together for 40 years and married for 36 years, proved so many people wrong!’, commented Sue Smith.
‘I always say, if someone is happy that all that matters has got nothing to do with anyone else. I think if two people are meant to be it doesn’t matter what age they still find each other. Age and numbers don’t mean anything’, wrote Nicola C.
Comment nowAre you enjoying the new series of Educating Yorkshire?Comment NowAfter one commenter asked Abi whether she ever worries about what life will be like when Jonny passes away, she replied: ‘Yeah most definitely! I suppose it’s natural to feel like this in age gap relationships and any relationship to be fair, but I always think about making the most of our precious time on this earth instead of the negatives????’
Meanwhile, Educating Yorkshire is now back on screens, this time with Matthew Burton as headteacher, whom loyal viewers might recognise as a former English teacher who helped pupil Musharaf gain confidence with his speech impediment.
After leaving the school in 2015, Jonny spent two years as head of Co-op Academy in Leeds, where he stayed for several years.
He previously shared how ‘proud’ he was of his contributions to the school and to the ‘legacy’ that was the Educating Yorkshire series.
Watch Educating Yorkshire on Sundays on Channel 4.
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