Oct. 24, 2007

After more than six months of persistent romance rumblings but no concrete evidence of cuddling, that more-elusive-than-Big-Foot entity known as Gyllenspoon has finally been captured on camera.

Yes, as their new film, "Rendition," crashed and burned at the box office last weekend, Reese Witherspoon, 31, and Jake Gyllenhaal, 26, decided the time was right to go public with their cagey coupling, indulging in some hand-holding, snuggling and assorted schmoopiness.

The first sighting took place on Oct. 19 (per Us Weekly) in Rome, where paparazzi snapped the furtive squeezes on a romantic stroll with hands firmly clasped and Reese's blond head occasionally resting comfortably on Jake's sturdy shoulder.

(And for those suspicious types who wonder whether this might have been a planned photo op, the dreamy-eyed if lately scruffy actor is pictured making ample use of a toothpick, an object he presumably would have ditched had he known the moment was being documented for the ages.)

Three days later, they were again photographed with digits entwined, this time as they touched down at LAX sporting complementary ensembles of black shirts, jeans and sunglasses. According to Us, they were also caught engaging in a bit of airport smooching.

The private pair's sudden spate of PDA comes just two weeks after Witherspoon's divorce from Ryan Phillippe was finalized -- and on the heels of another round of hookup denials.

"I have known Jake for years through different friends and he is just wonderful. He's very kind, generous and funny," Witherspoon gushed to the London Daily Mirror a few days back as she brushed off talk of a love connection.

On Tuesday, she responded to Ellen DeGeneres' observation of Jake's cuteness factor by enthusing, "Yeah, he's great!" although she refrained from any deeper proclamations.

Gyllenhaal, meanwhile, insisted, "I'm single," during a recent sit-down with British talk show host Jonathan Ross.

At the Los Angeles premiere of "Rendition" on Oct. 10, they were careful to maintain a discreet distance on the red carpet, purposely avoiding posing side-by-side.

But things changed last weekend in the Eternal City. In addition to their affectionate sightseeing adventure, Reese and Jake also made arm-to-chest contact as they smiled for the press at the Rome Film Festival.

You'll recall that the covert pair was first linked in March, and since then they have apparently experienced plenty of relationship drama, from the Oscar-winning mother of two's supposed need for some "emotional space" to a quick recovery from their "harshest split yet."

In between, they've reportedly enjoyed clandestine dinner dates, giggle-filled frozen yogurt runs, mellow song stylings, beach getaways and intense tête-à-têtes.

The long-awaited proof of Gyllenspoon's touchy-feeliness follows a recent report in the Chicago Sun-Times that says they've shared a string of quiet dinners at Witherspoon's place, a location chosen to avoid the prying eyes of the press.

According to the paper, Jake has also been spending "significant" time bonding with Reese's adorable ankle-biters, Ava, 8, and Deacon, 4, and they could be contemplating a family vacation to Hawaii over Thanksgiving.

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