Just a fortnight after Mel Gibson's wife of 30 years, Robyn, unexpectedly filed for divorce, the actor's turbulent private life took another step towards blockbuster status when he pitched up last week at the LA premiere of the new X-Men movie showing off his glamorous new girlfriend, a singer and former employee called Oksana Grigorieva.

Few moves could have been better designed to rile Robyn Gibson, who separated from her husband in 2006, and filed for divorce citing "irreconcilable differences" after the actor was photographed on a beach embracing Grigorieva.

The US TV show Access Hollywood has reported that he's actually been with Grigorieva for three years, and the musician is reported to have informed friends that she is pregnant.

Further speculation surrounds what Gibson's church will make of their relationship. The actor is a member of a conservative Catholic sect that does not recognise the authority of the Pope and follows an ideology dating back to the 16th century.

Gibson has built up an enormous fortune, but since almost every penny he owns was generated during his marriage to Robyn, which lasted almost three decades, he is likely, under Californian law, to have to surrender half of his $900m.