Kate Upton and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are officially a couple.
"They are very serious," a close source told People Magazine about the 21-year-old blond beauty and 33-year-old dancing pro.
The romance announcement comes as photos of the lovebirds holding hands recently surfaced.
The newbie couple is all smiles while strolling down the street (PHOTOS) in NYC's West Village neighborhood. The Sports Illustrated model wore workout gear, while Chmerkovskiy sported black jeans and a pink button-down shirt. Both sported black sunglasses during the daytime outing.
The pair, who reportedly met through mutual friends about six months ago and started their relationship as friends before taking the next step, a source told the magazine.
"Along the way, it turned into something else," the source said.
In July, the couple was spotted in NYC going on a dinner date together after an event (PHOTOS)
"The two did not want to be photographed together and did the best they could to avoid the cameras," a source told E! News. "They left the event around midnight and went to Catch sushi bar, that turns into a club. The two partied until the early hours."
Chmerkovskiy reportedly took the model to an intimate dinner at Scalinatella in NYC, to celebrate her 21st birthday on June 10.
"That's when it really happened," the source said. "It all really started just after her 21st birthday. They just clicked. They have a lot of chemistry together."
Chmerkovskiy has been previously romantically linked to Karina Smirnoff, Erin Andrews and DWTSer Peta Murgatroyd. Upton's been rumored to have romanced Blake Griffin, Mark Sanchez and baseball player Justin Verlander.
