The rumour mill went into overdrive when Rob Rinder said ‘friendship often does grow into love’ in reference to his pal Rylan Clark.
Fans became convinced the Eurovision host, 35, and Rob, 45, were in a relationship having struck up a romance after filming their BBC travel series.
The duo have been gallivanting around one of the most romantic countries in the world – Italy – for their show, Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour.
It’s hard not to get the feels when you’re drinking an Aperol Spritz in a Venice Piazza – but apparently, the rumours are all tosh.
In fact, Rob’s description of his friendship with Rylan, posted on X, was a Lord Byron quote: ‘Friendship may, and often does, grow into love’.
He likely borrowed the phrase from the romantic poet as he and Rylan were following his and other Grand Tourists’ footsteps in Italy for the show.
Former X Factor star Rylan then poured cold water over speculation of a relationship – after a journalist approached his mum Linda, 71, to get the gossip.
He wrote on X: ‘To the journalist that just doorstepped my mum at her house, as polite as you were, please don’t. She said you was a lovely man but she’s 71 years old and it makes me feel slightly uncomfortable,’ he posted on X on Monday.
‘The answer is no. I’m not dating Rob Rinder he’s one of my closest mates.
‘Next time tweet me. Thanks.’
Rob also denied the claims at the Baftas on Sunday – joking to the Daily Mail that while they were not romantically involved, they were like an ‘old married couple.’
He said: ‘We aren’t a couple. It is what Rylan said, we are like a very old married couple, we row, laugh together and don’t have sex.’
On Thursday’s This Morning, the pair insisted again they were just friends – but not without some banter.
After presenter Ben Shephard grilled them about their relationship status, Rylan quipped: ‘Watching it back, the narrative, the arc throughout the three episodes even something as stupid as in Venice, we were in separate accommodation.
‘In Florence, we were in the same accommodation in different rooms and by Rome I’m waking up with him underneath me: “Get off of me, barrister!”
‘But that’s the narrative of the arc, we started this process as mates and we have finished it as actual genuine friends. That’s been probably the best thing to come out of it.’
In the Grand Tour, Rylan and Rob, who share the same divorce lawyer, travel to Venice, Florence and Rome.
On the show, Rylan shared that after both being through ‘painful divorces’ recently, they were each ready for the ‘next chapter’.
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‘We’ve both been through painful divorces recently and are ready for the next chapter,’ says Rylan, who rose to fame on the X Factor and has since become a popular TV and radio presenter.
Rylan was previously married to Dan Neal, with the couple splitting in 2021 after six years, while Rob split from his partner, barrister Seth Cumming, in 2018.
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Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour is streaming on BBC iPlayer.
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