A British paper has published a photo of Van Morrison with Gigi Lee, the woman who is claiming to be mother of his child. The picture was taken in Los Angeles, following a tour performance in 2009. It shows Lee with striking, long blond locks and Morrison unsmiling by her side.

According to the Daily Mail, which published the photo, the 42-year-old Gigi Lee was appointed director of 14 of Morrison’s companies last April, just before she became pregnant.

A source told the Mail, “He had food with Gigi and Van and she had him sign DVDs and pose for pictures. They acted like lovers.”

Friends of Lee in Dallas, where she is from, say they believe she was introduced to Morrison in 1998, at a party given by Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, the Mail reported.

In a profile of Morrison dating from May 2009 in LA Weekly magazine, the writer says he spoke to the singer in his dressing room, “where he is cooling his heels … in the company of tour executive producer, Gigi Lee.”

But Morrison, 64, who is married to former Miss Ireland Michelle Rocca, has denied the claim that he is father of Lee’s baby, born December 28.

On December 31 he issued a statement saying: “The comments which appeared on my website did not come from me. They are completely and utterly without foundation.

He added, “For the avoidance of all doubt and in the interests of clarity, I am very happily married to Michelle Morrison with whom I have two wonderful children”

Yesterday the singer has posted another, sterner statement on his website – which he says was previously hacked – asserting: “Since shortly after Christmas there has been a great deal of misinformation and rank speculation concerning me and my private life arising out of a recent unauthorized posting on my website.

My private life is exactly that, it is private. I have, in my long career, never spoken about it and I’m not about to start doing so now.”