Dominic Purcell, 41, Praises "Intelligent" Girlfriend AnnaLynne McCord, 24

USMagazine, Friday, September 23, 2011, 2:45pm (PDT)

Bridging the age gap.

Despite being 17 years her senior, Straw Dogs acto Dominic Purcell tells Us Weekly that girlfriend AnnaLynne McCord, 24,keeps him in check. "She doesn't take any of my sh-t -- which I need," he says.

 

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But what the Prison Break alum really respects about his gal is her quick wit. "She's certainly one of the most intelligent women I've ever met in my life," Purcell, 41, raved to Us of McCord. "We are very, very happy."

The feeling is mutual for the 90210 star. "I'm like the little girl who loves school and loves learning, especially from a man who is so intelligent and so worldly," McCord told Us Weekly earlier this month. "It's nice to learn some things."

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 The secret to making their relationship work? Spirited discussions. "We have healthy debates, which I absolutely love," McCord said. "At the very end of the conversation we will both go, 'I respect your opinion. I disagree with you. But I respect your opinion because I love you.'"

 The couple -- who met on the set of their flick Officer Down -- first went public with their romance in July. The father of four's new movie Killer Elite costarring Jason Statham, Clive Owen and Robert De Niro hits theaters nationwide September 23.

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