Leonardo DiCaprio is known for his controversial age-gap relationships. He’s known for dating women no older than 25. But recently, it’s rumored that he’s now engaged to Victoria Ceretti, 25. This comes after another model’s revelation about his unusual bedroom habits. If the Titanic alum is really settling down, why just now? For many years, sources have claimed that his ex-girlfriends couldn’t impress his mother, Irmelin Indenbirken.

Indenbirken has always been by her son’s side – from driving him to auditions as a kid to going with him to red-carpet events, premieres, and film sets. It may sound like a normal, supportive mother-and-son relationship. But according to a therapist, DiCaprio’s “wrong” dating choices are likely due to his being a “mother’s boy…” Here’s how.

Leonardo DiCaprio’s Mother “Couldn’t Stand” Most Of His Girlfriends

In 2016, Daily Mail published an article called “Why Leo will only ever love one woman (and she’s 73): He plays the field with some pretty dubious ladies, but heaven help any who come between DiCaprio and his formidable mum.” There, Barbara Davies wrote about the time a 36-year-old DiCaprio briefly dated Blake Lively (then 24 years old) in 2011. A “friend” said that the Inception star broke up with the Gossip Girl alum because his mom “couldn’t stand” her.

“She tried hard to impress Leo’s mum when they met, but Irmelin couldn’t stand her. She told Leo that Blake was far too up herself for him. Leo listens to his mum and the fact she didn’t like Blake put him off.”

As it turned out, it was the same case for DiCaprio’s other girlfriends, including Rihanna. One of Indenbirken’s favorites was reportedly the Israeli model, Bar Refaeli whom her son dated, on and off, from 2005 to 2011. This presents a problem according to relationship guru, Dr. Gilda Carle.

On why the Wolf of Wall Street star chooses the “wrong women” to date, Carle explained: “His mother clearly dotes on him and has been wonderful to him. Yet he ends up dating supermodels who are into their own looks, charms and personality. He’s a mother’s boy and no other woman can compete with that.”

Irmelin Indenbirken was born in Germany during World War II. As a child, she contracted “five or six major illnesses” just from going to the hospital for a broken leg.

Leonardo DiCaprio “Loves To Spoil” His Mom To “Repay” Her Sacrifices For Him
In the same article, an insider said that DiCaprio takes his mom to awards shows to “repay” her for her support. “Leo often takes his mother as his date to awards shows. She loves all the glamour and excitement, and he loves to spoil her,” said the source. “He wants to repay her for all the sacrifices she made when he was growing up. But it runs deeper than that. They are extremely close.”

In 2016, the Revenant actor thanked his mom during his acceptance speech after winning a BAFTA for Best Actor. “Lastly, there’s one person I have to thank,” he said at that time.

“I would not be standing up here if it wasn’t for this person. I didn’t grow up in a life of privilege. I grew up in a very rough neighborhood in east Los Angeles.”

DiCaprio has also been candid about being raised by parents who were “Bohemian in every sense of the word.” In March 2000, he told Rolling Stone that “the earliest memory I have is me at some hippie concert with my dad and the band hadn’t come on. There was an audience of hundreds of people chanting for the band, and my dad scooted me on stage.”

He continued: “I don’t know how old I was, probably three or so — and I got up there and tap danced for hundreds of people.” Well, his parents are certainly proud of how far he’s come. Just look at DiCaprio’s most notable acting accolades:

Leonardo DiCaprio “Preferred” That His Parents Separated When He Was A Baby
DiCaprio’s mom and dad separated when he was just a baby. However, they maintained a good co-parenting relationship by living close to each other. despite growing up in a rough area, the actor fondly remembered his childhood, saying: “I think what I liked best about my childhood was the repetitiveness of the things we did.”

He added: “I think when you’re a kid, and you do a whole bunch of things, see a thousand different things, it’s all a blur and you really don’t remember anything. But we did the same things — went to the same museums, took the same pony rides — and those things have become locked in my memory as one good experience.”

The Aviator star went on to describe his parents as his “legs.” He said: “My parents are so a part of my life that they’re like my legs or something … And it wasn’t like they created a false good time — that they went out of their way to show me fabulous things. It was just that they were around and they were great.” He also “preferred” that his parents weren’t together.

“[I] sort of preferred it because I had two different worlds that I could connect with.”

In 2004, DiCaprio recalled how his father, George DiCaprio – an underground comic book writer – encouraged him to pursue acting despite facing several rejections. “I can remember (as a kid) the casting session that I had where I was a break dancer. So I had a punk haircut and they rejected me.”

“And I got really disillusioned with the business,” he shared. “I said, ‘This is what it’s all about? I haven’t even gotten to read the line.’ [George] said, ‘Don’t worry. Someday, we’re going to get you back in the business and it’s going to happen for you.’ So I kind of took that to heart.”

Leonardo DiCaprio has a net worth of $300 million.