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Culture April 9, 2020

Florence Pugh responds to 'horrid' and 'hateful' comments about age difference between her and boyfriend Zach Braff

WATCH: Florence Pugh on 'Little Women', working with Greta Gerwig

British actress Florence Pugh has had enough of the “hateful” comments she received in response to a birthday message she posted Monday on Instagram to boyfriend Zach Braff, who is 21 years her senior.

MORE: Florence Pugh on 'Little Women,' working with Greta Gerwig
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Today we shall smile wider than the clouds are grey. April 6th and we’re celebrating hard! Happy Birthday wishes, boogies and cheers for this special person. Raise those bubbles and jiggle!

A post shared by Florence Pugh (@florencepugh) on

The "Little Women" star was back on the social media site Wednesday, noting that she had to turn off commenting after “70 percent of the comments [were] “hurling abuse and being horrid.”

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In true Flo fashion, wearing spot stickers and all. To those of you that this video applies to- please listen. Please learn. Being hateful is not trendy.

A post shared by Florence Pugh (@florencepugh) on

“I will not allow that behavior on my page. I'm not about that. It makes me upset,” said Pugh. “It makes me sad that during this time when we really all need to be together, we need to be supporting one another, we need to be loving one another. The world is aching and the world is dying and a few of you decided to bully for no reason."

She went on, "I'm 24-years-old. I have been working since I was 17-years-old. I have been earning money since I was 17-years-old. I became an adult when I was 18-years-old and I started paying taxes when I was 18-years-old. I do not need you to tell me who I should and should not love, and I would never in my life ever, ever tell someone who they can and cannot love. It is not your place. It has nothing to do with you."

MORE: 'Little Women' cast have high fashion moment at world premiere

"The abuse that you throw at him is abuse that you're throwing at me, and I don't want those followers ... I don't want that on my page,” she said. “It's embarrassing, it's sad and I don't know when cyber bullying became trendy."

Florence and Zach, 45, were first linked romantically about a year ago, and have remained mostly tight-lipped about their relationship.