The 70-year-old paleontologist who was recruited by Steven Spielberg to give life to Jurassic Park's dinosaurs says he was forced out of the museum he put on the map - because colleagues hated him for marrying a 19-year-old student.

Jack Horner scored a MacArthur 'genius grant,' wrote eight books and raised $7.7million in the 34 years he spent at Montana's Museum of the Rockies, which is affiliated with Montana State University.

But when the university objected to Horner's 2011 relationship with undergraduate Vanessa Weaver - who was not his student but had a boyfriend at the time - things went badly wrong, he told Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

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Idol: Jack Horner, a paleontologist at Museum of the Rockies, is pictured with then-undergrad Vanessa Weaver. She described him as her 'idol.' They married nine months later

'Revenge': Horner said he married Weaver to avoid questions from Montana State U, and 'vindictive' managers Pat Leiggi (left) and Shelley McKamey (right) then squeezed him out

Wife: Weaver (left and right) was 19 and had a boyfriend when she married Horner. They are now divorced, although Horner said she's 'adorable' and they remain on good terms

The university demanded that he disclose the nature of his relationship with Weaver - an academic and dinosaur fanatic whose Facebook page shows her wearing a pachycephalosaurus outfit for Halloween - or undergo intense scrutiny.

'And then they could check on it and they could decide on it,' he explained. 'They could come say anything they want, so we got married so we could do anything.'

'And through the whole thing she had a boyfriend. There wasn't like something nefarious going on. I adore her. She's adorable, obviously we really like each other.'

In public Facebook posts from around that time, Weaver expressed frustration about rumors going around campus, including some - false - that she was pregnant.

Student: Weaver (pictured left with Jurassic World star Bryce Dallas Howard and right as a pachycephalosaurus on Halloween) was not Horner's student when she married him

Ultra-fan: Weaver is such a huge fan of dinosaurs she even got the museum's name tattooed on her wrist. But Horner says that same museum relocated his staff after they got married

In a post dated January 25, 2012, she said: 'It is true, I am married. What people don't know is the reason I got married. I love him and he is my best friend.

'Judge all you want about the age difference. It won't matter. He is not my advisor, teacher, employer, and has no say in my grades at MSU.'

She added: 'There is no reason to 'lose respect' for him. He is still the great paleontologist he has always been. If you want to know why I married him, send me a message and I'll reply in private.'

That post came nine months after she uploaded a picture with Horner captioned 'Dr Jack Horner (three heart emojis) my dinosaur idol!'

Other pictures show her with the cast of Jurassic World, in which Horner made a cameo appearance. A photo on Weaver's Facebook shows a 'thank you' gift to both her and Horner from the Jurassic Park special effects team.

The pair are now divorced, although Horner says they remain good friends.

Respect: Weaver advised friends not to 'lose respect' for Horner. He retired from the museum, for which he claims to have raised $7.7million

JACK HORNER IN BRIEF Jack Horner was born in Shelby, Montana. He was eight years old when he found his very first dinosaur bone. He attended the University of Montana for seven years, majoring in geology and zoology. He also spent two years in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving during the Vietnam War in the Special Forces. Horner did not complete his bachelor's degree due to severe dyslexia. However, he did complete a formidable senior thesis on the fauna of the Bear Gulch Limestone in Montana, which is one of the most famous Mississippian lagerstätten (or exceptionally preserved fossil site) in the world. The University of Montana awarded him an Honorary Doctorate of Science in 1986. In 1986, he was also awarded the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship Source: Wikileaks Advertisement

The result of their marriage, Horner claims, was the complete destruction of his friendship with museum director Shelley McKamey and her husband Pat Leiggi, the director of paleontology and exhibits.

His former 'best friends' went 'apoplectic,' Horner told the Chronicle.

He says the 'vindictive' couple reassigned his staff and reduced his responsibilities, and McKamey began to ask him repeatedly when he was going to retire.

So that's what he did.

'Let's put it this way,' he said, 'had that situation not existed, I would probably still be there. I would have spent at least a couple more years there.

'It would have been nice to do some more work on dinosaur eggs. It would have been nice to continue my field work a little longer.

'They were trying to get rid of me and that's what they did; they told me I couldn't do anything.'

McKamey declined to answer the allegations about allegedly pushing out Horner, citing university policy and state law.

Adviser: Horner advised on the Jurassic Park films and had a cameo in Jurassic World. Weaver, who still works in paleontology, was thanked by Jurassic World's SFX staff for helping

Denial: Museum of the Rockies director McKamey (pictured) would not comment on claims that she and Leiggi, who is director of paleontology and exhibits, squeezed Horner out

However she objected to what Horner called 'nepotism' with regard to Leiggi, who - along with her - is one of the three most powerful people in the university.

She said Leiggi was appointed by the Provost's office, not her, and that the university has mechanisms to avoid issues of nepotism. University President Waded Cruzado backed her up.

And she was not flustered when asked whether she had heard that some former members of staff refer to the museum as 'The Pat and Shelley Show.'

'Yes, I have heard that and it accurately reflects the leadership organizational chart of the museum,' she said.

'I'm the museum director and Pat, as director of paleontology and exhibits, and Angie Weikert, as director of operations and education, are the next highest level administrators.

'If the top administrators of an organization are not running the 'show,' then who is?'

Horner now works at the University of Washington's new Burke Museum. Next week he will travel to the White House to advise on education reforms.