Jennifer Lawrence is "secretly" dating Darren Aronofsky.

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence

The 26-year-old actress and the director - who is 21 years her senior - have set tongues wagging after they were spotted on a string of low-key dates in Los Angeles recently.

The pair reportedly struck up a romance after they bonded over their new film, which is yet to be given a name and also stars Javier Bardem and Michelle Pfeiffer, over the summer.

A source told The Sun newspaper: "Jennifer and Darren have tried to keep things low-key and under wraps but they are really into each other.

"Recently Jennifer was working on a gruelling project and she relied on Darren for support and they were in constant contact. It seemed to show they were the real deal."

This will be the 'Joy' actress' first public relationship since she split from Coldplay's Chris Martin - who has two children Apple, 12, and Moses, 10, with his ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow - last year following just four months of dating.

However, Darren isn't the first director Jennifer has been romantically linked to as there was also speculation things were heating up between her and Gabe Polsky last year.

She also previously dated her 'X-Men' co-star Nicholas Hoult on and off for two years between 2012 and 2014.

Darren, on the other hand, was engaged to actress Rachel Weisz, with whom he has 10-year-old son Henry, for five years before they split in 2010 and the brunette beauty started dating her now-husband Daniel Craig.

It's not yet known what attracted Jennifer to the 47-year-old director but she recently admitted she's instantly drawn to men who go out of their way to "impress" her.

She said: "It's not a sad thing to be alone. I think what I was trying to get across was that I don't feel a lack of something not being in a relationship. I don't feel like there is a hole to be filled ... An emotional hole to be filled ... You know, I'm 25. I'm successful. But I'm a girl. So I'm still always going to be attracted to somebody who impresses me."

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