Is Jennifer Lopez dating this hottie now?

Los Angeles - Jennifer Lopez is reportedly dating Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

The 44-year-old singer - who announced last week she had ended her relationship with Casper Smart - and the Dancing with the Stars professional met through the On the Floor hitmaker's best friend Leah Remini and her DWTS partner Tony Dolovani, and though things are going well already, they want to take their romance slowly.

A source said: "It's really new."

Another source told People magazine: "They are friends and have been talking."

The First Love singer previously danced with 34-year-old Maksim - who previously dated Kate Upton - at the American Music Awards last November in a routine which saw him spin her over his head, and though nothing happened between them at the time, insiders say their chemistry was undeniable.


(Greatstock/Splash)

One source told the New York Daily News newspaper's Confidenti@l column: "You saw (their chemistry) at the AMA's?"

Both Jennifer and Maxim were at the dancer's brother Val's birthday party at the Redbury Hotel in Los Angeles in late March and were described as "inseparable" during the evening.

A source told Life & Style magazine: "At one point, he put his arm around her waist and they seemed to be locked in a very passionate conversation."

Friends think it is now only a matter of time before the American Idol star - who has six-year-old twins Max and Emme with former husband Marc Anthony - goes public with her new romance.

Asked if they will be out as a couple any time soon, a source said: "I think they could. Who knows what will happen?"