London - He is a literary giant and Booker prize winner, widely regarded as one of the most intellectual authors of his time.
She is a peroxide blonde singer 40 years his junior, who dresses up in PVC bondage gear to perform her unique brand of so-called “filthy pop”.
Indeed, they are quite the odd couple.
But four-times married Salman Rushdie is said to have been on secret dates with Nikki Milovanovic, a Canadian pop star who moved to London in a bid to find fame.
Instead, it seems she found the Satanic Verses author after striking up a conversation with him on Twitter. And the pair exchanged increasingly flirtatious messages before embarking on a most unusual encounter.
Rushdie, 68, certainly seemed unobtrusive as he waited quietly at London celebrity haunt the Chiltern Firehouse on Friday night. Casually dressed in a navy blue suit, jumper and open-necked white shirt, he sipped tonic water at the bar. Milovanovic, on the other hand, seemed keen to be noticed – dressed in black shorts, a glittery midriff-exposing top, vertiginous heels and a faux fur jacket. The pair left separately.
A friend of self-proclaimed self-publicist Milovanovic, who has a one-woman act called ‘DOLLS’, claimed they had been seeing each other for some time. “She was really into him from the start and I know they would speak regularly, even when she was travelling in Brazil,” the friend said.
“She says he has an amazing sense of humour.”
His extraordinary profile and multi-million-pound fortune must surely have helped, too.
And the appeal for Rushdie? “Well, her act is intentionally dirty,” said the source. “She walks around on stage in little more than her pants and describes her music as ‘sultry, sulky fairytale smut’.” The pair have been tweeting and texting for over a year.
OK, I'll desist. But which page of my novel features a portrait of you? My lips are sealed. Answers on a postcard. https://t.co/f6y45afyy7
— Salman Rushdie (@SalmanRushdie) May 21, 2016
Only last week, Milovanovic (@dollsxx) tweeted about her new album, entitled Eat It Up, saying: “Dear @SalmanRushdie... Pls stop texting to ask which song is about you, just buy it and see…”
Rushdie, whose last book was published in September, replied: “OK, I’ll desist. But which page of my novel features a portrait of you? My lips are sealed. Answers on a postcard.”
This is a random night at @TheSavoyLondon, so imagine what the actual album is? 😳 #Click⤵️ https://t.co/Tf7FsW08Xd pic.twitter.com/3SPPfVyJnc
— DOLLS✨ (@dollsxx) May 24, 2016
It is understood the couple have dated in exclusive bars and restaurants around Mayfair and Notting Hill.
The friend said: “She did hint that they had become intimate and apparently there was a lot of public snogging and canoodling. They were not exactly private.”
Father-of-two Rushdie divorced his fourth wife Padma Lakshmi in 2007. Earlier this year, the model and presenter attacked him in her memoir, claiming he called her a “bad investment”.
Of his relationship with Milovanovic, a spokesperson for Rushdie said on Saturday: “They have been acquaintances for about a year... They haven’t seen each other in most of that time. They had dinner on Friday night as both happened to be in London. Any suggestion of a romantic relationship is untrue.”
Mail On Sunday