She's no shrinking violet! Rita Ora puts on a brave face in statement checked ensemble as she is spotted for the first time in NYC after confirming romance with Andrew Watt following Conor McGregor backlash

By Jessica Rach and Ryan Smith for MailOnline

Published: 20:50 GMT, 6 December 2017 | Updated: 02:03 GMT, 7 December 2017

e-mail

View
comments

She was the target of a venomous attack on Tuesday, after suffering backlash for posing with Conor McGregeor at the Fashion Awards- despite his own girlfriend taking the post in good humour and liking it on social media.

And Rita Ora put on brave face amid the social media bullying as she was seen stepping out in New York on Wednesday for the first time since the online furore.

The British beauty, 27, donned a statement ensemble- not shying away from cameras, a day after going public with Andrew Watt on Instagram.

Scroll down for video

Defiant! Rita Ora put on brave face amid the social media bullying as she was seen stepping out in New York on Wednesday for the first time since the online furore

Showing off her quirky sense of fashion, Rita slipped into a green checked gilet complete with fluffy collar and cuffs, clashing it with red and white floral sleeves.

Making a sartorial statement, she teamed it with coordinating leggings, and went a step further in the style stakes, adding purple velvet ankle boots and a bold red lip.

With her trademark golden hair in loose tousled waves and a pair of sunglasses hiding her flawlessly made-up face, Rita looked in good spirits, unaffected by the online trolling of the week.

The beauty has been splitting her time between London and America, as she continues to work on her new music.

No wallflower! The British beauty, 27, donned a statement ensemble not shying away from cameras, a day after going public with Andrew Watt on Instagram

Her appearance comes after Rita fanned away the flames of controversy on Tuesday, when she quietly became 'Instagram official' with musician Andrew Watt, who has been rumoured to be her boyfriend for more than a year.

The singer took to the photo-sharing app to upload a black-and-white snapshot of herself posing with a hand on the rocker's arm at Monday night's glitzy event London, alongside the caption: 'Last night,' flanked by a pair of love hearts.

Despite the pair having been spotted enjoying a romantic getaway to Rome in October of last year, Rita has stayed mum about their relationship and had notably kept him away from her social media accounts until Tuesday night.

Statement! Showing off her quirky sense of fashion, Rita slipped into a green checked gilet complete with fluffy collar and cuffs, clashing it with red and white floral sleeves

Turning heads! Making a sartorial statement, she teamed it with coordinating leggings, and went a step further in the style stakes, adding purple velvet ankle boots and a bold red lip

Moving on! With her trademark golden hair in loose tousled waves and a pair of sunglasses hiding her flawlessly made-up face, Rita looked in good spirits, unaffected by the online trolling of the week

And a source tells MailOnline that it is all a part of her efforts to keep her romance under wraps, explaining: 'Rita has kept her relationship with him very private and out of the spotlight... This is the first time she has posted anything about him.'

Her low-key Instagram revelation came hours after Jane Park - who to rose to prominence after scooping £1million on a EuroMillions lucky dip ticket - decided to get in her two pennies' worth, and hit out after Rita was seen cosying up to the UFC-fighter-turned-boxer in a snap she captioned 'date night'.

Conor, 29, has been with partner Dee Devlin for over nine years and the couple welcomed their first child together, Conor Jack McGregor Jr., in May.

Official! Her appearance came a day after she made her romance with Andrew Watt 'Instagram official' on Tuesday night, when she posted a snapshot of them together at Monday's Fashion Awards in London

Romantic getaway: The pair enjoyed a romantic trip to Rome in October of last year, but Rita had never publicly spoken about her relationship with the rocker

Stylishly in sync: On Tuesday night, they were spotted wearing patterned ensembles as they made their way out of London hot-spot Chiltern Firehouse together

Along with a furious response from followers of both Rita and Conor online deeming the snap disrespectful to Conor's partner, Jane Park chipped in with an attack on the singer.

She tweeted: 'Rita ora is... doing something to stay relevant, just worded it different to cause a uproar. Actual w***e a hope dee gives her a round kick knock out.'

A spokesman for Rita has insisted the 'date night' term was in reference to the night as a whole.

Party: Rita and Conor also appeared to enjoy their evening together at the Fashion Awards

Post: Pop star Rita later posted this tweet online with the provocative caption, 'Date Night'

Uploads: The star looked keen to add snaps of her and the fighter ro her social media account

Celebrities: The pair took snapshots with a series of other celebrities who attended the bash

The spokesman said: 'Date night is a figure of speech, Rita also posted selfies with Donatella Versace as her real date and one with Jourdan Dunn as her date.'

But that has not stopped others criticising both her and Irishman Conor online.

One follower wrote to Conor: 'You've got a fine Irish steak at home mate. No need to ruin it with a McDonald's,' one fan tweeted.

Another aimed at Rita: 'Date night with a married man?' while one added: 'That’s lovely for his partner and mother of his child, have a bit of respect maybe?'

Love of his life: Conor has long credited Dee - the mother of his son Conor Jack McGregor Jr. - with helping him on his road to success

Comments: Since the controversy, Dee's Instagram followers have posted several comments under her photographs making derogatory remarks about Rita

Critic: Jane Park found fame when she became one of the UK's youngest lottery winners

Problems: She has since appeared on TV discussing the problems of wealth at a young age

Singer Rita has been linked to a host of celebrities since becoming famous, including Rob Kardashian, Calvin Harris, Tommy Hilfiger's son Ricky Hil and James Arthur, who recently gushed about their sex life in his new book.

Jane Park, 22, was so young when she won in 2013 they had to put Irn Bru in her champagne flute for the press photo shoot after the win.

Earlier this year she had threatened to sue Camelot for letting her win the jackpot, saying no one as young as she had been should have won. But she later dropped her threats of legal action.

She has also claimed she sometimes wishes she had never won the huge prize, but said she wouldn't give the money away.