photo claiming to be of the president, appears to be a porn star

Photographs purporting to show the President of Croatia in a bikini has gone viral, earning the head of state a whole new fanbase.

However, the photos claiming to be of Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, 47, were not of the president at all, but of U.S. model Coco Austin, famous for her voluptuous shape and marriage to rapper Ice-T.

The beach snaps first appeared on Twitter, with many showing their appreciation for the 'president' and expressing a sudden interest in moving to Croatia.

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Mistaken identity: Bikini pictures of Coco Austin, 36, went viral after they were claimed to be of Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, 47, President of Croatia

Old news: The pictures of Nicole 'Coco' Austin were taken on holiday with her husband Ice-T in Miami in 2009

The pictures of Coco mis-credited to be of the president, taken on holiday with her husband Ice-T in Miami in 2009, were posted with captions such as: 'Croatian President, new crush alert', and '*moves 2 Zagreb*'.

One Twitter user wrote: 'Goshhhh Next time Make me Croatian Citizen', with another adding 'Where is the Croatian embassy?!'

On Monday, a number of South African news websites republished the pictures, still unaware that they were in fact of Coco Austin, proclaiming that the president 'broke the internet'.

Another photograph of a voluptuous blonde in a bikini soon appeared along the pictures of Coco Austin, also claiming to be of President Grabar-Kitarovic.

Leader: Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic became Croatia's first female president upon her election last year

Same same? The bikini pictures of Coco Austin (left), claiming to show President Grabar-Kitarovic (right) soon went viral, with the President gaining a lot of new fans

However, too appears to be a case of mistaken identity, and is allegedly showing a female porn star.

Ms Grabar-Kitarovic is the first female president of Croatia, a largely ceremonial position created upon the country's independence in 1991.

President Grabar-Kitarovic, a mother-of-two, is a former foreign minister, ambassador to Washington and an ex-assistant to the NATO secretary general,

After taking her oath last year, Grabar-Kitarovic said she will work on making Croatia — which has a 20 per cent unemployment rate and a six-year recession — 'a rich state.'

More mistakes: This picture also claimed to show President Grabar-Kitarovic, but is reportedly of a porn star

She said that after Croatia joined the EU in 2013, 'I wish we start living the lives of people in the European Union.'

In addition to degrees in international relations and English and Spanish literature, she also attended George Washington and Harvard universities in the U.S. and is fluent in speaks Croatian, English, Spanish and Portuguese.

In contrast, Nicole 'Coco' Austin is a 'television personality, glamour/fitness model, actress, dancer, author, fashion designer, entrepreneur and internet sensation', according to her own website.