Wednesday 27 July 2022 02:18 PM George Clarke's new love Florence Hvorostovsky receives the blessing of her ... trends now
George Clarke's new girlfriend has been given the blessing of her late husband's new family after going public with her new relationship.
Swiss opera singer Florence Hvorostovsky, 52, confirmed her romance with George, 48, this month, when they were seen strolling hand in hand in Ibiza.
Prior to meeting George she was married to Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky, and the couple had two children - Nina, 15, and Maxim, 19 - before he tragically died of brain cancer in 2017 at the age of 55.
Florence has remained on good terms with her late husband's family, including Dmitri's parents who live in Moscow, who have now said they support her decision to start dating again.
Supported: George Clarke's new girlfriend Florence Hvorostovsky has been given the blessing of her late husband's new family after going public with her new relationship (George and Florence pictured in Ibiza last week)
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Dmitri's cousin Alexey Zarkhin, a construction entrepreneur in Siberia, said the family understood why Florence was moving on.
'We must understand that if a woman doesn't support her femininity, she would quite quickly turn into an old lady,' he said. 'Nobody would be interested in her then - neither her children, nor anyone else.
'So however great was her late husband, and however much she loved him, we all - us all, her children, and the public - need a vibrant, lively, beautiful Florence.'
Florence - born in Italy and a fluent Russian speaker - met Dmitri at the Bolshoi Theatre in Geneva in 1999.
The world-famous baritone was performing the role of Don Juan and Florence was his partner, with the couple sparking their romance after Dmitri kissed her during rehearsals.
Widowed: Prior to meeting George she was married to Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky, and the
