Nick Cannon joins Chilli and her mum on dinner date

Nick Cannon's romance with TLC star Chilli is heating up after he was introduced to her mother.

The musicians were first romantically linked last month (Jul16) and it seems their bond is growing stronger following reports he was invited to join the 45-year-old R&B singer and her mum Ava Thomas for dinner at Los Angeles restaurant ROKU last week (04Aug16).

Onlookers suggest everyone got along famously and they were all "very warm" with each other throughout the meal.

"Nick was super engaged with Chilli and her mom and very animated," a source tells People. "They were laughing and giggling and seemed to be telling lots of jokes."

After eating and laughing for about an hour and a half, the trio called it a night and left the restaurant together.

The rumoured couple has been noticeably silent about their emerging romance, and when quizzed on claims he was dating the TLC star, Nick refused to confirm the hearsay.

"We got the opportunity to spend, uh, time together but I wouldn't... Ask her what the situation is," he smiled coyly to Entertainment Tonight.

But he added: "I would be so lucky to be able to claim to be dating somebody like Chilli."

Nick added that Chilli is "someone I do care dearly for", and said he gets "excited when I get to see her".

Cannon is still to officially divorce ex-wife Mariah Carey, the mother of his five-year-old twins Monroe and Moroccan. Chilli, who has a son with producer Dallas Austin, previously dated R&B hunk Usher in the early 2000s.