"As soon as I finish this job & can get home, my priority is to try to bring my family back together. These latest reports are false & cruel," Crowe posted on his Twitter feed earlier today.

On Wednesday reports emerged in New York that Crowe has struck up a relationship with Billy Joel’s ex-wife,  described in the US as "foxy foodie" Katie Lee.

According to the New York Post, the pair were "cuddling in front of a romantic fireplace" at the Greenwich Hotel at 3am on Sunday morning, following the Les Miserables premiere.

The report has also been picked up by the British tabloids, however Crowe himself has been silent on the matter.

As soon as I finish this job & can get home, my priority is to try to bring my family back together.These latest reports are false & cruel. — Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) December 12, 2012

Crowe is due in Sydney for the Les Miserables premiere at the State Theatre on December 21, the same date as his eldest son Charles's birthday. Friends say he intends to spend Christmas with his sons, Charles and Tennyson, at his north coast farm at Nana Glen near Coffs Harbour. It also appears Crowe is hoping to have his estranged wife join the family celebrations.

But, back in New York, the Post claimed Crowe was "in an intense flirtatious conversation" with Lee, with a "spy" quoted as telling the tabloid: "They looked really into each other."

Lee, 31, split with Joel after five years of marriage in 2009 and reportedly won a large payout.

She was among the crowd at New York’s Joe’s Pub on Saturday to watch Crowe, 48, perform with an all-star crowd and engage in a singing battle with his Les Mis co-star, Hugh Jackman.

In October, Fairfax Media revealed that Crowe and Spencer had separated after nine years of marriage.

Crowe, currently in New York filming Winter's Tale, has since publicly stated he needed to "spend more time" with his family.