Rare outing for new Hollywood couple

Harrison Ford arrived for the American premiere of his latest all-action film firmly holding the hand of the new woman in his life, Ally McBeal star Calista Flockhart.

Hours before the premiere of K-19: The Widowmaker, Ford and McBeal were seen having lunch in a cafe in Santa Monica.

Ford, who turned 60 on Saturday, was sporting an earring, a piece of jewellery which bore all the hallmarks of being a birthday gift from a girlfriend 22 years his junior.

The couple have been dating since she accidentally spilt a glass of wine on the highest-paid actor in Hollywood at the Golden Globe Awards in January. They rarely attend showbusiness functions, instead preferring to spend time together at Harrison's New York apartment.

Ford, who earns £17 million a film, split from his second wife Melissa Mathison, who wrote ET: The Extra Terrestrial, last August after being married for more than 18 years. After the split, he was linked to the actresses Lara Flynn Boyle and British star Minnie Driver. He is alleged to have dumped Miss Driver because of her non-stop partying - she was seen weeping in a Malibu restaurant shortly afterwards. Then he met the ultra-thin Miss Flockhart.

Since Ally McBeal was axed earlier this year, Miss Flockhart, who played a neurotic lawyer in the comedydrama, has announced her desire to relocate to New York to be nearer Ford.

The actress, who was once linked to her co-star Robert Downey Jnr, has been spending as much time with Ford and her adopted son, Liam, as she can. But she has declared she wants to start making movies and Ford has insisted to Indiana Jones masterminds George Lucas and Steven Spielberg that he will only make a fourth instalment if there is a role for her as his love interest.

K-19: The Widowmaker is Harrison's first role since the chilling What Lies Beneath in 2000. He plays the captain of an experimental Russian submarine on its maiden voyage. It is the true story of a battle to avoid a nuclear disaster and an escalation of the Cold War.

He and Miss Flockhart were joined at the premiere at Mann's Village Theatre in Westwood, Los Angeles, by the cast of the film, which includes Irish actor Liam Neeson. Actress Angela Bassett, Babe star James Cromwell, and singer LeAnn Rimes also attended. The film also stars British veteran actor Joss Ackland.