Charlize Theron doesn't see herself living with a partner again, but they can 'buy the house down the street'

Charlize Theron is at a point in her life where she is open to dating again - but she’s not looking for anything too traditional.

While appearing on an episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, the Oscar winner revealed that she’s got one specific rule in mind when it comes to any future romances, and that’s separate living spaces.

Charlize, who hasn't been linked to a relationship since around 2015, said, "I really mean this - people think I joke - I don't think I could ever live with somebody again. I would love for you to be close, like buy the house down the street, but I don't know if I can."

She did add that she could be open to changing her mind in the future, saying, "Maybe it's because I still have my daughters in the house, and maybe that will change when I'm an empty nester, but I'm looking for something very specific".

Charlize isn’t alone in choosing to define a relationship on her own terms. Earlier in the month, the Loose Women panel questioned if living apart is actually the secret to successful relationships, and there have been many notable examples over the years, not least the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip who had separate bedrooms for most of their marriage.

Speaking of her two children - daughters Jackson, 14, and August, 11 - Charlize shared that the pair don’t just want their famous mum to date, they love getting involved and sharing their opinions.

"My kids are at an age now where they actually enjoy that I'm dating because they want to be involved," the star of Netflix’s Apex revealed.

"It's really funny how I was scared they'd be threatened by it, and now they're like, 'Mom, is he texting you? Like, go on the date, mom.'"

Charlize, who has previously dated actors Stuart Townsend and Sean Penn, adopted her eldest daughter, Jackson, in 2012, and her younger daughter, August in 2015.

She has previously spoken about how adoption was always how she saw her family expanding.

She told People, "Even when I was in relationships, I was always honest with my partners that adoption was how my family would look one day. This was definitely not a second option for me. It was always my first".

Despite her kids being cool with their mum getting back in the dating game, Charlize shared a very relatable parenting frustration recently - the preteen and teenage stage.

Appearing on Travis and Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast in late April, Charlize joked that they had turned into "hormonal nightmares", adding "I’m getting my ass handed to me from the moment that I walk into the house."

She told Jason, who has young children, that when they’re older “You're gonna have days where you just get in your car and drive around the block."

Maybe this is the real reason she wants to date someone with their own home - a place to escape.