Liam Neeson is dating again

Widower Liam Neeson has gingerly stepped back into dating, a year-and-a-half after the untimely death of his wife Natasha Richardson in New York City following a skiing accident a day earlier in Quebec.

The Oscar-nominated star of "Schindler's List" was seen Sept. 3 in London holding hands with British public relations executive Freya St. Johnston, People magazine reported Wednesday. She and Neeson, 58, had shared a meal at the high-profile restaurant Nobu, reported the British newspaper Daily Mail, and then were spotted entering the upscale Dorchester Hotel.

They had dinner together again four days later at Nick & Toni's Café in Manhattan, near Lincoln Center, said Star magazine.

While St. Johnston, 36, told the Daily Mail on Sept. 5, "I am not saying anything whatsoever" about a possible relationship, People yesterday quoted her ex-husband, marketing executive Matt Winton, saying, "They make a very nice couple." Calling her "a wonderful person and a fantastic mother," he went on to say, "She takes life seriously in a free-spirited kind of way."

The Daily Mail said the couple may have met through friends in the film industry, and that he has visited her modest apartment in North-West London.

Like Neeson, the father of sons Micheál and Daniel, St. Johnston is the parent of two children, People said.

"Freya isn't trying to fill Natasha's shoes; she's just letting Liam know that she's there for him," a source told Star. "He'll always love Natasha, but he thinks Freya is wonderful."

His children are supportive, the source said. "The boys are just glad that Liam isn't so sad anymore. They know that it hasn't been good for him being alone."