Leonardo 'has no time for Rihanna romance ahead of Oscars'

Leonardo DiCaprio's sole focus is said to be bagging an Oscar, rather than any romance with Rihanna.

The actor has been nominated for a golden statue five times in the past, but has so far walked away empty handed. However it's widely believed he'll finally win an Academy Award on February 28 (16), for his movie The Revenant. He won the Golden Globe for the role, and Leonardo is now said to be focusing all of his attention on the Oscars, so any potential romance with Rihanna has been put on the backburner.

"It's no secret that Leo is desperate to finally win an Oscar this year, having been famously overlooked until now, and he doesn't want his personal life to distract from his campaign," an insider told Britain's Grazia magazine. "Things between him and Rihanna aren't serious, and he's concerned that being painted as a playboy will stop him being taken seriously as a contender. He was even rumoured to have split with Kelly Rohrbach so that his entire focus could be on walking away with an award. Right now, he wants to be known for his work, not his love life."

Rihanna and Leonardo have set tongues wagging for some time over their friendship, and are constantly linked with one another. They were last spotted looking cosy earlier this month (Jan16) at a Parisian nightclub, with reports suggesting they were kissing passionately. Photos were also taken, but Leonardo's lawyer stopped the pictures from being published by invoking French privacy laws.

However Rihanna is said to be less bothered by the alleged snaps.

"They've enjoyed a flirtation for ages, and are very much friends with benefits," the source continued. "Leo's been giving Rihanna advice about her film roles, which is an area she's keen to break into, and they've been enjoying each other's company. She was slightly miffed by how he reacted to the pictures, because she makes no apology about her private life and can't understand why he would."