View source for Dr Who and his girl from Ipanema

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| publication = The Mail on Sunday
| file = 2009-02-01 Mail on Sunday.jpg
| px = 500
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| date = 2009-02-01
| author = Sharon Churcher, Harold Emert 
| pages = 7
| language = English 
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... and don't worry, the age gap is only 877 years


THIS is the beautiful singer from Ipanema who is said to have stolen the heart of the new Doctor Who.

Mayana Moura, a 26-year-old Brazilian, commutes between homes in Rio de Janeiro and New York, and performs with a punk rock band on the US club circuit.

Friends revealed last night that she met Matt Smith, the unknown actor recently cast to play the 903-year-old Time Lord, when he was holidaying in Rio.

They say the attraction was instant - despite the 877-year age gap (though in real life, of course, Smith is also 26).

'Mayana and Matt were introduced to each other last January at the fashionable Rio nightspot Club 00,' said Brazilian society columnist Bruno Astuto, an acquaintance of Mayana's.

'Matt went back to England and they kept in touch. He was so in love that he came to Brazil a second time and they started to seriously date. Then Mayana went to England to see him. She has been over three times in all.

'He was introduced to her family and last month, during his latest visit to Rio, they began talking about marriage. It would be a great match.'

Astuto added: 'They have been together for one year. They celebrated on New Year's Eve when they joined a group of friends for a party in a penthouse overlooking the beach in Copacabana.' 

Smith has said he 'fell in love' during a Brazilian holiday, adding: 'It's a nightmare because she's 6,000 miles away.' With gentlemanly tact, he has refused to identify the object of his affection. 

But shortly after he was hired by the BBC, a reporter for The Mail on Sunday encountered the young actor strolling on a beach with Mayana in the legendary Rio neighbourhood of Ipanema. 

Smith politely said he was not 'authorised' to give interviews. 

Asked about her relationship with Smith, Mayana also declined to comment. 'This is a private matter,' she said. 'Matt doesn't want to talk. I don't want to talk.' Smith has admitted he was surprised when, just as their romance was developing, he was picked to replace David Tennant. He said: 'Doctor Who has the iconic status of Robin Hood or Sherlock Holmes, and I'm taking that on. That's my responsibility and it's exciting. Nerve-racking, but exciting.'

Born and brought up in Northampton, he played football at the Nottingham Forest and Leicester City youth academies until a back injury at 16 forced him to quit.

His drama teacher at Northampton School for Boys, Jerry Hardingham, landed him one of his first stage roles. The shy youth was 'so self-effacing he wasn't sure if he would be good enough', said Hardingham.

But he went on to appear in the BBC2 political drama Party Animals and the 2006 TV adaptation of The Ruby In The Smoke - however, he has yet to win over some Doctor Who fans. One complained on the BBC's message board: 'Toddler in the Tardis! He is far, far, far too young.'

Mayana is equally 'shy', said a friend in Rio. 'She has this bold look, but she's a very sweet, unassuming girl,' he insisted. The green-eyed Brazilian began her career as a model after she was spotted in Rio by fashion photographer Mario Testino, a favourite of Princess Diana's. 

He shot Mayana for a magazine layout which described her as 'the new girl from Ipanema'. 

She appeared in Paris for designers including Karl Lagerfeld of Chanel, then moved to America, cutting a CD and performing at Johnny Depp's LA nightclub The Viper Room.

She acquired the same manager as Eminem and has also acted in TV and feature films. 

Friends say her relationship with Smith has been complicated because both are on the brink of major career breakthroughs. 

Mayana has started a punk band called Glass And Glue with Brazilian stylist Marina Franco. Bruno Astuto said: 'Matt wants Mayana to move to England but she is really involved in this band project and she does not want to disappoint her band mate Marina. 

'She and Matt are both very young, they are both at the start of brilliant careers and they are in love. I just don't know how it will end. It is a real dilemma.'


Caption: TIME LORD AND LADY: The new Doctor Who Matt Smith, right, and Brazilian punk singer Mayana Moura

Caption: 'SWEET': Friends say Mayana is shy and unassuming


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