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

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

And the pair looked happier than ever lately, as they cozyed up on Saturday in a sweet Instagram snap ahead of the semifinals.

The reality TV star, 32, can be seen flashing his pearly whites as he smiles for the sweet photo alongside his professional skating partner Vanessa, 26.

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

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

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

Vanessa, surprised by the bold move, is able to laugh off the kiss before joining Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby for the judges’ scores.

After the shocking kiss, Joey stated to Philip and Holly that it was Vanessa’s “first ever televised kiss.”

The shocking live-on-air kiss comes after Joey recently returned to rehearsals after suffering a nasty skating injury during rehearsals last month.

And the former Towie star had to rest as 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 him bedridden.

When taking a picture of his lower half, the TV personality’s right knee and shin had a black brace wrapped around it.

While covering his foot with a skate sticker, suggesting there could be further injury to it.

Smooch: The sweet photo comes after the pair recently shocked fans by sharing a kiss on live TV last month after dancing to High School Musical’s Breaking Free

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

The presenters were subsequently criticized by viewers for being ‘completely inappropriate’, ‘disrespectful’ and leaving Vanessa visibly ‘uncomfortable’.

Phil, 60, tried to persuade the former TOWIE star, 32, and his pro partner, 26, to reveal if they were an item before Holly, 41, announced the pair as ‘Joey Essex and his skate-slash real life partner Vanessa.”

The Dancing On Ice semi-final will air on Sunday 5 March at 6.30pm on ITV1, and the show has a shocking twist in store for the celebrity skaters as there will be two eliminations during the show.

Semi-final: The semi-final will air on Sunday 5 March at 6.30pm on ITV1, and the show has a shocking twist in store for the skaters as there will be two eliminations during the show