Joey Essex gushed over "perfect" Vanessa Bauer as they placed second in the Dancing On Ice final.
Much has been said about a romance between the pair after fans spotted their chemistry. The close bond they share is evident from their respective social media pages and even hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield have quizzed them about their 'romance'.
Joey has always remained coy about their potential romance but tonight, he heaped praise on her publicly as the duo found themselves runner up on the show, with Nile Wilson and his professional partner Olivia taking home the trophy.
Speaking during the final, he explained how she was the perfect coach and spoke of their unbreakable bond as he thanked her, before adding: "She is the best. I couldn’t be anymore proud of myself and of her.."
It comes after Joey told The Mirror the pair clicked since day one.
"Me and Vanessa have a great bond, we've always gotten on well with each other since day one," he said, "It's very special and I think it would be quite nice to see what’s going on in the outside because we're just mainly in the the ice rink to be honest. We’re taking it day by day. We've got the final ahead of us all of our focus is definitely on the final."
Vanessa also spoke about how they had a "great partnership" and he has always been there for each other.
Speaking about their tough semi-final, she added: "We were both there for each other, we’ve been there for each other since day one and the reason we got through that night was because we believed in ourselves."
Joey also admitted he had a deep care for his skating partner, adding: "At the start of the journey, I was like oh my gosh I don't want to drop you but now it's just like whatever let's do it, let's take risks! Obviously I care about Vanessa because she's a lovely girl.
"I don't want to drop her, but she's so used to being dropped. Nile's a gymnast so he knows how to fall and I know how to fall now. I got some injuries at the start but you learn how to fall and you learn how to be dropped."
However, he did confess she was very strict with her training, adding: "Oh yeah she's definitely whipping me! She is beyond strict, but I love it but I wanted someone who is strict and put me in my place."
