Image credit: Legion-Media

Ross and Rachel flirting, getting together, being ON A BREAK, kind of getting back together and eventually rounding off their story when Rachel got off the plane, was a story that permeated every season of Friends.

Part of its success was the chemistry between David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston that helped make this couple who really shouldn't have been a couple, actually look like a couple.

And fans of the show will not be surprised to find that one of the reasons for their connection appearing so genuine on screen is that both actors had a crush on the other during the early seasons of the show.

Appearing on Live with Kelly and Ryan, Jennifer Aniston confirmed this rumour, saying they just let their mutual feelings "play out on TV". She went on to say that the couple also shared their first kiss on television. Asked by Kelly Ripa whether this felt "weird", the Rachel actor replied that it was "quite enjoyable actually".

The off-screen relationship between the two stars has always fascinated fans of the show. Several rumours have circulated about them being in a real-life relationship – the most recent of which did the rounds in 2021.

Reports that they'd been seen together quickly grew into speculation of a romantic link-up between them. But, alas, Aniston's PR people quashed the rumours. But Schwimmer and Aniston remain good friends and there's no doubt that some of their public interactions do nothing to hold back the tidal wave of opinion that says their respective crushes never quite went away.

For example, Aniston posted a pic of herself in the shower in 2022 with the caption "Something's Coming" as part of a marketing campaign for her haircare company Lolavie, Schwimmer couldn't resist posing for his own shower shot which was then released on Instagram.

It's the type of humour that can only exist between two people with a genuine and long-lasting friendship.

And while it doesn't necessarily follow that they would be a couple based on this kind of banter, it's an indication of a relationship that has the potential to go that way. Particularly when we know they had a bit of a thing for each other back when they first started filming in 1994.

Although, it might just be that some fans are so keen for there to be a real-life Ross and Rachel that they'll take any sign of friendship between the two as an indication that the enduring possibility of the match-up is back on the cards.