Hailey Baldwin just friends with Justin Bieber, says father

Hailey Baldwin is not dating Justin Bieber, her actor father Stephen Baldwin has insisted.

The 19-year-old star was first linked to Canadian heartthrob Justin early in late 2014, with rumours heating up after the pair were seen enjoying a holiday in the Caribbean together over the festive period. Shortly afterwards Justin appeared to confirm they were an item when he posted a picture of them kissing on Instagram, but her dad has claimed things aren't as they seem.

Quizzed by TMZ staff about the rumoured romance, Stephen insists the paid are "just friends" and have "no label" on their relationship. However, it seems if things do get more serious the 49-year-old star would be on board.

"Mr. Bieber is a wonderful young man, hugely talented, got a whole lot more success ahead of him," he said.

Justin and Hailey's purported relationship has been the subject of speculation for over a year, with the Sorry singer calling Hailey "one of my best friends in the entire world" in November (15). During a recent talk with i-D magazine, he opened up more about how much her friendship, as well as that of Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, means to him.

"They are literally the sweetest girls,” he gushed. “They have the best hearts. They care about me in the same way that I care about them. When people say mean things about them, I get defensive and when it happens to me they get defensive."

It seems the feelings run both ways, as Hailey has spoken about Justin publicly in the past. Last year (15) she revealed they have bonded over their faith, as they both attend Pastor Carl Lentz and his wife Laura’s Hillsong church, and praised Justin for the way he's turned his life around over the last 12 months. After experiencing several brushes with the law, the star is now focused on his music and has impressed with is latest record Purpose.

“This past year (Justin) has made a lot of big changes in his life,” she previously explained. “He’s really a good person and I don’t think everybody knows that side of him. I think he’s trying to get everybody to know that’s who he really is. He’s one of the most caring and most polite people I know.”