Kate Hudson's cheeky bath snap failed to win Nick Jonas

When Kate Hudson's stylist posted a cheeky photograph of the actress relaxing in the bath on Instagram, she captioned the soapy snap: "Just another day at the office."

But while Goldie Hawn's daughter later claimed the photograph was taken on the sly by stylist Sophie Lopez, a more intriguing theory has emerged.

A close friend said the sexy snap was a not-so-subtle attempt to make Kate's on-off boyfriend, boyband star Nick Jonas, realise what he was missing.

The Mail on Sunday has learned that Kate, 36, found herself in the rare position of having to vie for her lover's attention - after he started wooing Phil Collins's actress daughter Lily.

A source said last night: "Nick and Lily have been friends for years. He and Kate were in an on-off relationship and she agreed to let her stylist take and post the sexy bathtub picture last November to show him what he was missing.

"It was around the time she started hearing rumours that Nick's feelings towards Lily were changing from friendship to something more."

But Kate's ploy to win back her lover appears to have failed. Nick, 23 - lead singer of The Jonas Brothers - and Collins, 26, who is known for films such as The Blind Side, this weekend told friends they are away on a romantic break at the Californian ski resort of Mammoth.

The source said:"'Nick and Lily only got together properly three weeks ago. Even though it's a new relationship, they are crazy about each other."

Earlier this week, singer Collins revealed he was back living with ex-wife Orianne, who was left partially paralysed by surgery several years after their divorce in 2008.

Collins married Orianne in 1999, having split from Lily's mother Jill three years previously.

- Daily Mail