There’s sudden and frenzied interest in a woman who, until yesterday, was an obscure Russian athlete after a Moscow newspaper reported that Russian President Mr Putin recently split with his wife and is preparing to marry the young and very pretty gymnast Alina Kabaeva.

The 24-year-old recently became a member of the Russian Parliament supporting Putin’s party after quitting her career.

Here are some of her older pictures from the time she was a waitress and was modelling nude in a variety of magazines including Maxim and FHM.