The French author and television presenter who claimed he could not love any woman over the age of 50 has said he has no regrets over his remarks that caused widespread outrage.

Yann Moix, 50, who is promoting his latest book, Rompre, said his personal preferences in women were his own business and he was only being honest.

“I don’t see this as pride, but almost as a curse. It’s not my fault. We are not responsible for our tastes, our penchants, our inclinations. I’m not here to hold forth on this,” he told RTL radio.

Moix, a prize-winning novelist, sparked a furious backlash after a question and answer interview was published in the latest edition of Marie-Claire magazine in which he claimed he was “incapable” of loving women in their 50s because they were “too, too old”.

In the radio interview, he suggested it was important to face up to certain truths even if they caused offence. “We’re living in a society where it’s hard to be an individual. We have to always represent the universal citizen … someone who displeases nobody,” he said.

He added that while he considered himself a victim of his preferences he did not feel obliged to apologise for “being different”.

“Every individual is a prisoner of their tastes. I’m a prisoner of mine. It takes nothing away from a woman of 50 years that I don’t want to sleep with her,” he said.

“I’m not responsible for my tastes; I’m trying to be honest. Of course I have a problem, I’m an adolescent, I’m a child and I don’t interest women in their 50s either. They’ve got better things to do than to drag a neurotic around who spends his time yelling and reading and likes doing things that only excite children. It’s not easy to be with me,” he said.

Asked whether he thought his comments would affect sales of his book, Moix said: “The system is so perverse that sales are about to rise like an arrow.

“I don’t regret saying these things because they concern only me. I love who I want and I don’t have to answer to any good taste police … for me that would be a complete lack of taste.”