Heroes beauty Hayden Panettiere has laughed off rumors she's dating Entourage star Kevin Connolly, branding the romance reports "so funny".

The 20-year-old actress split from Heroes co-star Milo Ventimiglia in February and has been romantically linked to British TV presenter Steve Jones in recent months.

New reports suggest Panettiere has been getting close to Connolly, 35, after they were spotted together at an Emmy Awards after-party on September 20th.

However, the young star has dismissed the claims, telling JustJared.com, "I've known Kevin for so long. You can't have friends with the opposite sex. It's so funny. We're just friends."

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(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)