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DANCEFLING ON ICE
Dancing On Ice stars Wes Nelson and Vanessa Bauer had a fling in the show’s early stages, reveals insider
DANCING on Ice fans were sure something was going on when they spotted Wes Nelson and Vanessa Bauer “kiss” during their pirate routine.
And today The Sun on Sunday can reveal the good-looking pair — hot favourites to win this weekend’s final — could not resist each other during the early stages of the ITV competition.
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But Wes, 20, later decided they were better off as friends and their brief tryst fizzled out — causing a tension that has left their bid for skating victory close to the edge.
An insider revealed: “They had a thing at the start of the competition.
“Wes and Vanessa were instantly attracted to each other, you only had to be in the same room as them for a minute to see sparks were flying.
“But it wasn’t long before Wes decided he would rather stay single. He is the man of the moment and fast becoming a household name.
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“Girls are queuing up to knock on his door. The last thing he needs is a serious relationship. Vanessa has come to accept it.
“This has been really awkward but they are both being professional and getting on with it. They know that the Dancing On Ice trophy is theirs to lose.”
This has become the most talked about and eagerly watched Dancing On Ice contest, with an astonishing 6million tuning in most weeks to watch the non-stop drama.
From reality star Gemma Collins’ furious rants, to judge Jason Gardiner’s chilling putdowns and the awkward love triangle that developed between Wes, his then girlfriend, Megan Barton-Hanson, and Vanessa, fans have been glued to their sets.
There has been ongoing speculation about the nature of Wes and Vanessa’s relationship.
Tongues were first set wagging in January after it emerged that Vanessa, 22, had broken up with her boyfriend of two and a half years, British cruise ship performer Louis Nathaniel, 27.
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Then Megan Barton-Hanson poured fuel on the flames with an Instagram rant about Vanessa, stating: “Love that you decide to announce your break-up with your boyfriend on the night of your 1st performance with my boyfriend!
“You’ve never reached out to me once or invited me to watch you train. It pained you to introduce yourself to me last night — you didn’t even look me in the eye.”
Megan, 25, who met Wes on last year’s Love Island, went on to slam producers for pairing Wes with the “the youngest, hottest girl”.
She continued to try to support her then boyfriend by appearing in the audience. But the couple broke up in January, with both blaming her jealousy and the amount of time he was spending at rehearsals.
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Megan, a former stripper, claimed that she “fought and fought and fought” to make the relationship work but Wes “doesn’t love me back”.
He countered: “To say I didn’t fight for her is silly, it was a mutual decision. I didn’t just say, ‘That’s it. I’m done’. Fight for what? We both ended the relationship.”
Wes also continued to insist he was not seeing his ice-skating partner.
He even went as far as saying that Vanessa was not his “cup of tea” in comments that stunned other contestants on the show.
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Last night a spokesperson for Wes insisted: “It’s a purely professional relationship.
“Even though they have spent three months together he does not feel that way about her and I’m pretty sure she does not feel that way about him.”
A show source said: “Wes was obviously trying to end the speculation by saying Vanessa is not his type but that must have been hugely hurtful.
"She was already upset that fans were turning against her over Megan’s accusations.
"For Wes to reject her in such a public way did not make him seem like much of a gentleman.”
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Berlin-born Vanessa’s German parents even joined in.
Mum Yayun Bauer, 48, explained that Vanessa decided it was over when Louis took a job on a ship in America, meaning he would be spending long periods away from their home in Hemel Hempstead, Herts.
However, as we reveal today, sparks did fly between Wes and Vanessa in the early stages of the contest and people working on the show were not surprised when Megan flew off the handle.
The insider added: “Vanessa seemed completely smitten with Wes during the opening weeks. She had watched him on Love Island and couldn’t believe she was going to get to work with him.
"There was a lot of chemistry between them and it was pretty obvious they were more than just dance partners.
"But no sooner had it started than it fizzled out. It was a personality thing. They fancied each other but they have different interests and backgrounds.
“Wes is charismatic and outgoing while Vanessa is socially awkward. It’s not just Megan that she cannot look in the eye — it’s anyone she does not know well.
“Wes likes her as a person but he came to see they had no chance of going the distance.”
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A source close to Wes even claimed: “One of the other pros has been spreading rumours about Wes and Vanessa as they are so scared they are going to win.”
Wes was in tears last week as he opened up about his split from Megan in a segment shot before he and Vanessa took to the ice for the semi-finals.
The couple were devastated to be awarded only four nines for their performance.
Fans commented that Vanessa had a “face of thunder” as the judges tore into their disappointing routine.
Their main rivals, former Strictly pro dancer James Jordan, 40, and skate partner Alexandra Schauman, added to the pressure by scoring four perfect tens.
In what is sure to be a gripping and nerve-racking final, the two couples will battle it out with Finnish singer Saara Aalto, 31, and her partner Hamish Gaman.
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A source said: “Wes and Vanessa are still favourites because they have the most Instagram followers.
"James is carrying injuries and he is telling people he is just happy to have made it to the final.
“It has definitely been awkward between Wes and Vanessa since they called it a day. But she is a real pro and she is determined to win this competition, just like she did last year.
“For the last dance they are both going to push their emotions aside, get on with it and give the best show they can.”
Wes Nelson crashes as he practices ahead of the Dancing on Ice final
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