WASHINGTON: Heidi Klum recently spent her Italian getaway with a new man — her bodyguard of four years, Martin Kristen.

While on a family getaway to Sardinia, the Project Runway host, 39, was spotted getting close to Kristen, sparking rumours that the two are dating.

But a friend close to the super model has denied the rumours.

“It’s complicated. Their relationship is hard to define,” People magazine quoted the friend as saying.

For Klum, who announced she was separating from her husband of seven years singer Seal in January, “this has been a difficult time,” the pal said. “Her inner circle of people she trusts is getting smaller and smaller and he is her number one confidante,” the friend added.