Slumdog Millionaire actress Freida Pinto has come out and spoken for the first time about her friendship with co-star Dev Patel saying it has become stronger.

The pair have been seen cuddling up in Israel and were also spotted shopping for a ring in London since the Oscar-winning film was released.

Freida, 24, has now called 19-year-old Dev "a lovely boy".

"The friendship blossomed after the film, it got even stronger. This is all new to us," she added.