Terri Irwin and Russell Crowe looking to take next step in relationship

They were romantically linked to one another earlier this year before their representatives shut down the reports. Now, New Idea bizarrely claim Terri Irwin and Russell Crowe - both aged 52 - are talking marriage as their alleged relationship heats up.

The pair are reportedly set to go public with their romance because the mother-of-two "doesn't want to hide it any longer", the Daily Mail reports.

A source close to Terri reportedly told the magazine: "You can totally tell they're into each other and have been for a very long time.

"Obviously Russ has been through a lot of pain because of how much he loved Danielle and Terri relates to that because she's struggled to find anyone who's matched up to Steve.

"This is a big reason they're so compatible - they're on the same wavelength about never expecting to find true love again," the source explained.

They added the couple have spoken about tying the knot in a "small and intimate" wedding in late 2018.

An Australian Zoo representative laughed off the rumours, telling Daily Mail Australia: "All of these reports are completely false. Terri and Russell are not dating and are certainly not planning a wedding."

Daily Mail Australia has contacted a representative for Russell for comment. 

This isn't the first time the pair have been linked to one another.

In May, New Idea again reported an "insider close to the actor" claiming the couple were unable to "fight their love any longer."

But at the time, an Australian Zoo spokesperson laughed off the reports, saying: "She'll be flattered! "Russell Crowe is a long-time friend of the Irwin family and has been for many years, [but] the report that Terri and Russell are romantically linked is simply untrue."

The story also claimed that neighbours have seen the Gladiator star "half-naked" on the balcony of the wildlife warrior's AU$3.2 million home on the Sunshine Coast, even waving to locals as they pass.

"The truth is, they're both at similar stages of their lives and have so much in common - kids, looking for love, big careers. "It was only a matter of time before they fell in love," claimed the source.

- Daily Mail