Sept. 21, 2007

You'd think that with Lindsay Lohan tucked away in rehab -- in Utah -- she'd be free from reports of messy romantic entanglements.

Think again.

Seems the tabloids are convinced her chumminess with a former patient at the swank Cirque Lodge has put her at the center of his domestic drama, a charge she denies.

The London Daily Mirror claims the self-control-challenged starlet got up close and personal in rehab with a little-known and married musician named Tony Allen, who was snapped in proximity to her last month during a few recovery-approved outdoor activities, including hiking and white-water rafting.

Rumors of a LiLo liaison have allegedly left him on the outs with his moneybags wife, Stephanie Allen, a British heiress who's the mother of his twin infants.

"She has had it, period," a "friend" is quoted as saying. "He is trying to live out this rock star fantasy at 40. All Stephanie wanted was for him to be a good husband and father."

The insider adds that the couple struggled to conceive, "and when they finally got two beautiful babies, he hooks up in rehab with a girl half his age."

But Allen, who checked out of Cirque several weeks ago, pooh-poohed the rehab rendezvous rumors to People last week, explaining, "That is against the rules."

(He's apparently less stringent about confidentiality, however. When he left Cirque, a press release pushing his Atlanta-based band's new video clunkily mentioned how he had been "keeping company" with Lohan at the facility.)

He also downplayed the whispers -- in between promoting his music -- to "Extra," insisting that he and Lindsay, 21, are just "great friends" who "share a common affliction" and "talk about life sometimes."

Meanwhile, the latest issue of In Touch also chimes in on the actress' supposed "new man," charging that he boasted to pals about cozying up to the spiraling star, blabbing, "C'mon, it's Lindsay Lohan ... Wouldn't you?"

But Lindsay's spokeswoman is quick to dismiss the treatment tryst talk as so much fiction, insisting to MSN Entertainment, "This story is completely false."

The rep adds to the New York Daily News that it's also "mean."

When not sparking tabloid headlines, Lohan is making sure she's properly outfitted on her long climb up the 12 steps, a journey that will reportedly continue for several more weeks.

E! Online says she popped by a Park City, Utah, boutique a few days back and picked up a pile of lingerie.

For those desperate to know what comes between Lindsay and her designer wear (when she actually deigns to don foundation garments), her purchases included bra-and-panty sets in pink and green gingham, mesh cotton and black lace.

The bill for her thong-filled retail therapy reportedly came to about $1,200, which she charged to her credit card.

And if you feel as uneasy as we do knowing Lohan's underpants preferences, we suggest a hard scrubbing with a wire brush to take the shame away.

Next: Couples News: Jolie-Pitt PDA, Zanessa Rumors