Jim Davidson insists his new romance with Maria Rice-Mundy 'isn't a rebound' as they go glam on their first official night out as a couple

Jim Davidson insisted he's not on a rebound as he enjoyed his first official night out with new girlfriend Maria Rice-Mundy on Sunday night. The couple headed to the Water Rats annual ball and were seen outside the Royal Lancaster hotel in central London together. Maria, 60, looked incredible wearing a red sequin gown, while Jim, 72, was suited and booted for the occasion. The Water Rats Annual Ball is an annual star-studded charity gala hosted by the Grand Order of Water Rats, the historic British entertainment industry fraternity and charitable organization founded in 1889. And speaking to the Daily Mail on Monday, Jim insisted that this is not a rebound romance following his split from ex Tash, 49, which was reported to be in September.He said: 'This is not a rebound at all. My ex, Tash and I broke up long before it was actually reported and it was on and off for a while.'What I like about Maria is that there are no rules. We are not getting engaged, we are not about to elope and we are not putting labels on things. Jim Davidson and new girlfriend Maria Rice-Mundy went glam on their first official night out as a couple at the Water Rats annual ball on Sunday as he said there are 'no rules' in this relationship He told the Daily Mail on Monday: 'This is not a rebound at all. My ex, Tash and I broke up long before it was actually reported and it was on and off for a while''She is the oldest woman I've dated and I am the oldest man she's dated. We've been friends for many years and we have a laugh together. We get along great and we're just happy going forward together.'Maria was in the background of the call and the couple had been enjoying a breakfast of scrambled eggs on toast after their big night out. Jim joked: 'We've been busy having lots of sex' before Maria roared: Don't say that' and he chuckled, 'No, we're just having a really nice time together.' Maria was recently crowned Ms Great Britain Classic 2026 and Jim said she 'certainly turned a few heads' on their night out together. They were joined by their good friend Lizzie Cundy, 58, who posed for pictures with them. Jim is said to have fallen hard for beauty pageant winner Maria who co-hosted TV game show, Sale Of The Century and Bob's Your Uncle alongside the late Bob Monkhouse in the late 1980s.He previously told the Daily Mail that long-term friend Maria, is 'too good to be true' and while he insists he is not short of female attention, he said 'she has something special about her.' Jim admitted he is still getting over his last break-up but is free to date again after Tash, 49, broke up with him and he hates the thought of feeling lonely. Speaking about his new romance, Jim said: 'Maria's not a new lady. I've known her for years. In fact, I gatecrashed her wedding 30 years ago. She is too good to be true. He said of Maria: 'She is the oldest woman I've dated and I am the oldest man she's dated. We've been friends for many years and we have a laugh together. We get along great and we're just happy going forward together' They were joined by their good friend Lizzie Cundy, 58, (left), who posed for pictures with themJim cancelled his Hampton Court wedding to Tash and lost a £10,000 deposit - he said they would break up regularly'I'll be honest, I am not short of ladies who want to date me but Maria has something special about her. She makes me feel like I'm not as useless as I've been made out to be.'But I will say, if my ex Tash is ever in the s**t, she can call me and I'll be there for her.'Gathering his thoughts, Jim said he wasn't yet over the split which saw him cancelling his and Tash's Hampton Court wedding and losing a £10,000 deposit. No doubt he feared losing even more of his fortune if he were to have another failed marriage, after previously racking up £60million in divorce costs. He said: 'It takes a while to get over something like this. Maria and I have had some dinners together and we are seeing how it goes. 'Natasha dumped me three months ago. She said I had given her no choice - but to be honest it was up and down and we would split up every month. 'I would just like to not be lonely. I hadn't actually seen Nat much this year and Maria is a fantastic person to go out to lunch with.'Jim has previously been married five times and his proposed Hampton Court venue was a nod to his many relationships, due to it being the former home of King Henry VIII and his six wives.While he had plans to marry for a sixth time like the Tudor King, Jim has said the wedding is off but there is 'no bad blood' between him and Tash and called it a 'grown up separation.'Jim revealed that due to clashing schedules the former couple had been unable to make time for each other so have gone their separate ways.He struck up a new romance with Natasha early in 2024 after splitting from his wife of 14 years, Michelle Cotton. Jim attended Nigel Farage's 60th birthday party at Boisdale's in Canary Wharf with Natasha on his arm, he was telling everyone he couldn't wait to walk down the aisle.The TV star said at the time that he was 'completely smitten with her and finally believes he has found 'the one,' urging his pals to 'tell her she should marry me'. He even renamed his £350,000 yacht – previously called Princess Mitchie after his ex-wife – Lady Natasha. He also took to the stage at the party where he couldn't stop gushing about his new love who works as a freelance assistant with him on his ustreme.com channel.Jim said: 'I've just got my divorce through and I'm here with my new girlfriend,' joking about how many wives he has had and saying he has room for another.He claimed he is still on good terms with Michelle, whom he wed in 2009, and will continue to visit his ex-wife, although he is too sad to see the dogs they once shared.'There you go, the divorce came through today, so it's done. I'm divorced again, my fifth divorce,' he said in an interview posted on his streaming platform, Ustreme.'The house has been sold and that will be going through in March, fingers crossed. It's a new chapter for all of us.'He added: 'I've spoken to Michelle today and wished her the best of luck. I've arranged to take some stuff and pick up some bits and pieces.'She said I was welcome around there any time. I said I was only going to do it if the dogs weren't there so I've asked that if I call up to go round that she take the dogs for a walk because I don't want to heap any more sadness on the situation.'The comic announced his split from Michelle in April 2023 after two decades as a couple and was said to be devastated that they couldn't work it out.His first marriage was to childhood sweetheart Sue Walpole in 1971 and they had daughter Sarah Walpole-Davidson, now 51, before divorcing a year later.He married Julie Gullick, with whom he had son Cameron, 41, in 1981 and they went on to divorce five years later in 1986.Just one year later he walked down the aisle with journalist and TV presenter Alison Holloway but their marriage lasted less than two years.His fourth marriage in 1990 – to former Page 3 model Tracy Hilton – lasted for a decade. The couple had three children together: Charlie, 34, Fred, 32, and Elsie, 31.