Despite constantly denying that they were anything more than friends, Ryan Phillippe and Abbie Cornish made their first public appearance as a couple at the 2008 Australian in Film Breakthrough Awards this week.

The media has been following Ryan and Abbie’s relationship closely ever since Ryan and his former wife, Reese Witherspoon, divorced in late 2006. After the highly profiled couple announced the separation, media reports quickly began speculating that Ryan was having an affair with his Stop-Loss co-star  Abbie Cornish while he was still married to Reese.

Whether Ryan and Abbie were together during his marriage with Reese remains a mystery (much like Brad Pitt’s relationship with Angelina Jolie when he was married to Jennifer Aniston) but some may agree that their post-divorce hookup is more than a mere coincidence.

And while Ryan and Reese remain on good terms (Reese is currently dating actor Jake Gyllenhaal), it took Ryan a while to go public with his relationship with Abbie.

Witnesses at the Australian Awards show dubbed Ryan and Abbie as adorable, cozy and comfortable. Sources say the couple was holding hands all night and appeared to be very happy.

Just two months ago Ryan opened up about the difficulties of seeing Reese move on with Jake Gyllenhaal.

We’re pretty sure it will be just as difficult (if not more) for Reese to see Ryan with Abbie.

Do you think Ryan was with Abbie while he was still married to Reese?