Time stood still for former Doctor Who Matt Smith as he pᴀssionately kissed a mystery brunette on a Rio de Janeiro sidewalk last week.

The British actor appeared to confirm he was in a new relationship while out in public with an attractive lady-friend during a New Year break in the South American coastal city.

She has since been named as Jessica Felix, a Brazilian model and trainee doctor who celebrated her 26th birthday in December.

It is not known how Matt –  at 42 some 16-years her senior – met Jessica, whose Instagram platform attracts more than 4,000 followers and documents her modelling career and glamorous life in Brazil.

The actor was thought to be single after ending his most high profile romance with actress Lily James in 2020.

The couple first met in 2014 on the set of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies in which Matt played Mr. Collins and James Elizabeth Bennet.

Matt Smith’s new love interest is Jessica Felix, a Brazilian model and trainee doctor who celebrated her 26th birthday in December

It is not known how Matt – at 42 some 16-years her senior – met Jessica, whose Instagram platform has attracted more than 4,000 followers

It was previously reported by The Mail On Sunday that Matt was dating businesswoman Caroline Brady in 2021 but they have not been pictured together since 2022.

Lily and Matt were notoriously private about their relationship before going official at the Milan premiere of Lily’s film Cinderella in 2015.

She later quashed rumours of a proposal, telling The Sun on Sunday: ‘We’re not engaged yet. But it’s going very well.’

The pair split in 2019 owing to ‘hectic’ work schedules before briefly rekindling their romance during the first Covid lockdown in which they self-isolated together at the north London home they had shared.

However, they split for good in October 2020, with sources claiming they ‘realised they’d be better off as friends.’

Before that he dated several famous women including Billie Piper, Brazilian actress Mayana Moura and model Daisy Lowe.

In July 2023 Matt was spotted in a clinch with actress Emma Laird, 24, outside a pub near his North London home.

The couple spent hours chatting and laughing together, and at one point they were seen gazing into one another’s eyes as they drank and smoked at a picnic table.

Matt was thought to be single after ending his most high profile romance with actress Lily James in 2020 (pictured in 2018)

And at around midnight, the pair headed off into the evening together. An onlooker said: ‘They were both looking in great spirits, enjoying several drinks al fresco until the late hours.

‘They seemed to have great chemistry, and once the lights were switched off, they disappeared together.’

Just a month later in August of that summer Matt enjoyed a cosy date with his rumoured girlfriend Lili Gattyan at a restaurant in Marylebone.

An onlooker told The Sun at the time: ‘They appeared close and were laughing and joking. He had his dog with him and people stopped by for a chat.’

Lili, who owns a swimwear brand Eunoia, ‘looked like she was having a ball’, added the onlooker.