Le quiero (girl)

Le quiero (girl)
 

Is 'le quiero' ever correct, or even accepted, if we want to say 'I love her', or must we always use 'la quiero'?

I understood that it's only ever accepted if we want to say 'I love him', but not 'I love her'.
Is this correct?
Many thanks.

'La quiero' is correct and used everywhere.

Using 'le' instead of 'lo' (when a masculine direct object pronoun is called for) is known as 'leísmo' and is accepted by the RAE. Do not use 'le' when you're in a region where 'leísmo' is not used. Never use 'le' when the direct object is feminine.

Thank you, Rusty, for your superb explanation. Much appreciated.