Rapper Eminem and Pop star Geri Halliwell were set to become the strangest couple in showbiz after going out on a string of secret dates.

The bizarre union came about after the pair bumped into each other by the pool of the Sunset Marquis Hotel in Los Angeles when both stayed there. Before long they'd struck up a conversation and arranged to go to a local bowling alley. One date turned into another and the former Spice Girl was now a regular fixture in the outspoken rapper's social life.

According to Britain's The Sun newspaper, a source says, "You wouldn't expect them to have much in common - certainly in terms of their lifestyles. But the relationship seems to work.

"Geri was having a great time. She and Eminem have been out together a few times, bowling and for meals. Who knows whether it will lead to romance?"

Geri has been single since splitting from coffee tycoon Bobby Hashemi last year while Eminem is now divorced from childhood sweetheart Kim Mathers, the mother of his five-year-old daughter Hailie. And the potential coupling may not be as unlikely as some might think - on his debut hit My Name Is, Eminem hinted that he liked one of the Spice Girls, when he rapped: "I can't figure out which Spice Girl I wanna impregnate."