Renee Zellweger wants to show off new boyfriend Damien Rice, and has invited him to be her date at the Oscars.

However, the Irish singer has yet to give Renee a definitive answer, as he wants his personal life to remain private.

An insider told The Mirror, "Renee feels the time is right to introduce Damien to everyone and really wants him to be her date.

"She is hoping she can quietly slip him into the awards because most of the attention will be on the Oscar nominees. But Damien is still deciding if he wants to show up or not.

"He knows there is likely to be a huge amount of interest in their relationship and he's a very private person."