R&B hunk Mario has denied rumors he is dating his Dancing with the Stars partner Karina Smirnoff.

The pair is alleged to have started a romance after becoming close on the hit U.S. reality show, and rumours were further fuelled when they were spotted getting intimate at a Hollywood party in February, according to the New York Post’s gossip column PageSix.

Mario recently joked about his relationship status when he gushed to People.com: "I love this woman (Smirnoff)! I love her personality! I’ve grown to love the person that she is, and you should feel that way about your partner!"

His compliments prompted Smirnoff to tease the Let Me Love You hitmaker about having a child, telling the site: "I told you to keep it on the downlow. By the end of the show, I will be pregnant with Mario’s baby!"

But the 21-year-old singer’s representative has laughed off claims of a relationship, insisting, "They’re not dating."

Mario is not the first partner professional dancer Smirnoff has been linked to - she reportedly dated her season three partner Mario Lopez in 2006.