Joey Essex cosies up to his skating partner Vanessa Bauer ahead of semi-final

Rumors of a romance between the pair have been circulating for several months.

And the couple looked happier than ever recently when they hugged each other in a sweet Instagram snap ahead of the semi-final on Saturday.

The 32-year-old reality star can be seen showing off her pearly whites as she beamed for the sweet snap alongside fellow pro skater Vanessa, 26.

And Vanessa, who can also be seen all smiles, took to her Instagram stories to share the sweet snap captioning the post with ‘Taking it all in @dancingonice @joeyessex’.

The sweet snap comes after the couple recently shocked fans by sharing a kiss live on TV last month after dancing to High School Musical’s Breaking Free dressed as lead characters Troy and Gabrielle.

And once the routine is over, Joey can be seen getting carried away by luring his skating partner Vanessa in for a full kiss.

Vanessa, surprised by the bold move, can be seen laughing at the kiss before joining Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby for the judge’s scores.

After the shocking kiss, Joey declared to Philip and Holly that it was Vanessa’s “first kiss on TV.”

The shocking live kiss comes after Joey recently returned to rehearsals after sustaining a nasty skating injury during rehearsals last month.

And the former Towie star was forced to rest while he recovered from the injury.

The star then took to his Instagram to share an update with his 1.8 million followers by posting a photo of himself bedridden.

Taking a photo of her lower half, the TV personality’s right knee and shin had a black brace wrapped around it.

As he covered his foot with an ice skate sticker, suggesting there could be more injuries to it.

Earlier this month, Joey confirmed rumors of a relationship with Vanessa during Dancing On Ice after being questioned by hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Scholfield.

However, the presenters were later criticized by viewers for being “totally inappropriate”, “disrespectful” and leaving Vanessa visibly “uncomfortable”.

Phil, 60, tried to persuade the former TOWIE star, 32, and his professional partner, 26, to reveal if they were a couple before Holly, 41, announced the couple as “Joey Essex and his real-life ice skating partner, Vanessa”. .’

The Dancing On Ice semi-final will air on Sunday 5th March at 6:30pm on ITV1, and the show has a shock twist in store for celebrity skaters as there will be two eliminations during the show.