He may have only just split from Hilary Duff but Good Charlotte’s Joel Madden has already thrown himself into the boyfriend-swapping frenzy that is the Hollywood socialite scene.

According to Us Weekly, Joel has been secretly dating Nicole Richie for the past few weeks and they “came out” as a couple at the weekend.

They were spotted dancing together and holding hands at Teddy’s nightclub on Saturday night and an onlooker told the magazine: “Nicole couldn’t stop smiling. I’ve never seen her happier.”

Then the following evening, they were spotted on a double date with Joel’s brother Benji and his girlfriend at the Polo Lounge in the Beverly Hills Hotel. An onlooker at the restaurant noted that Joel had his arm around the socialite for most of the evening and Nicole was having a good time. The source added that Nicole was “was laughing throughout the meal. She didn’t seem to shy to dominate the conversation either!”