This makes for an interesting read: http://entertainment.stv.tv/home/843...sy-over-maria/
I'm sure there relationship is purely friends - look at Torvill and Dean, there are always rumours in boy / girl partnerships.

I say theres no smoke without fire.
After Sunday their either very good actors or their very much in love/lust.
Take your pick.
I will say their "closeness"has been commented on by several people i know and many people on youtube too.
I did bring this up on another thread last night and nearly got my head bitten off.

Given that Maria is practically old enough to be his mother, is married (?), has children, and Ray is 20 years old with a very happy girlfriend who's there for him every week... I highly doubt they are anything more than friends. That's been made very clear on multiple occasions. It's possible for a girl and a boy to be close friends without being attracted to one another - or even to be attracted to each other and still just be friends.

I'm with Psychosis on this one. It is more than possible for men and women to have loving relationships without being in love or lust with each other.

I am not surprised to be honest you nearly got your head bitten off, obviously ray appreciates maria as a partner which he repeatedly said but to make anything of the way he skates with her is just wishful thinking. Ray has danced with partners since he was 5 he knows how to present and showcase his partner and with the latin training also knows how bring out emotion.

Thank you Bendymixer. I assume I am the one who is supposed to have "bitten someones head off!!!" What I did was point out that this is how rumours are picked up and exploited, based on no evidence whatsoever other than their emotion during the DANCE!. As you point out, Ray is not only an actor and can portray emotion well, he is well trained in latin dancing, and would have no trouble expressing love, desire or whatever having done it for years in the rumba etc. I believe he thinks the world or Maria as a partner, as he should, appreciates all she has done for him etc. And I am not surprised she is fond of him, as he is a very likeable young man. People have suggested similar things with Strictly couples. The better they can convey emotion the better the dance/skate. Ray and Maria are also professionals and should be well able to express feelings during a performance, and remain good friends off the ice. As I said on another thread, these kind of comments can be very upsetting for some of the people concerned, but that doesn't really matter to the press unfortnately.

Well ive been talking to a girl on youtube who says her cousin works on DOI.ill PM you though...dont want to get slaughtered on here!

I know someone who's neighbour's cousin's nephew works in the West End so I'll get her to find out!

You only hve to look at the reaction of Emma to all the hugging and kissing after the scores to see there is nothing in it she is not in the least bothered. Dont really care what anyone who works on DOI thinks it is just secondhand rumour!!

This one could run and run!!!

In this backstage interview with him after Sunday's show, he does talk about her quite a bit, but I think it's just more that he admires her and is grateful for help. I love a bit of gossip but I just don't think there's anything in this.
http://programmes.stv.tv/dancing-on-...champion-2009/

At the end of the day its up to the individual what we think.
some of us think one thing some another..i assume your sceptical of the story i was told then?
Until theres actual evidence people can only really speculate..with me its just lots of little things and i found her very plausible..mabe im gullible.

100% AGREE
And in the sunday mirror there is a picture of Emma at the rink watching them train and Maria must know her quite well to comment on their relationship in the news of the world.

Also both Maria and Ray work day in and day out with her husband who trains them and other celebs on the show

it nothing and silly really when the same thing gets said year in year out about one of the couples

Don't think you're gullible. I have just worked closely on content around the show and I just don't see it. I think they are good friends and close but I think that's it and it's nice that that's where it ends. Remember the Eoghan and Diana saga? Would be good not to go through that again!! But hey, maybe you're right.

Didn't Duncan James say the same thing when Maria partnered Gareth Gates....I think it is purely a tongue in cheek comment!

Suzanne said it too everyone of them say it's like 5 months they have worked together for upto 6 hours a day and it gets more toward the final so of course they cant imagine seeing them skate with someone else

A lot of the celebs develop close friendships with their pro partners, whether in DOI or SCD, and often admit to a twinge of jealousy when they see them with their "new" celebs. This is just something a rag of a paper is making out of nothing. (Nothing new there!!)

Zoe said the same thing of Matt a few weeks ago and suzanne also said the same thing about Matt too. I don't think there is anything more than friendship here. If you are spending that amount of time with someone you will get close to them and I think that's all that this is.

I need to correct you there sorry.
Ray and Maria were coached by the DOI official trainer whos name escapes me..Mark someone?
not by Andrei.
Oh and by T&D.

But Andrei is Suzie's husband not Maria's or is Maria's hubby called Andrei too?

Hi GerriP yes he is..her husband is called Andrei too,hes a skating coach but he has no professional involvement in DOI...Hope that clears things up.

her husband is called that too he is a trainer on the show

No he isnt.
It was stated on the forums here last year that he has no professional capacity or involvement in DOI.



"Maria Filipov is definately not married to the Andrei on the show.

She is married to another Russian Andrei, not involved in DOI and they live in Australia.

Andrei who partners Clare is married to an English girl named Susie. "

I thought Karen Barber's hubby was one of the chief coaches?

I didnt say she was married to Andrei the pro i said Andrei the trainer on the show
And I'll be taking Maria's word that he works on the show over yours sorry as she has told the papers her husband works on the show as a trainer
And as its her husband and i think her word counts on this one.
And it is possible for two people to have the same name and work on the same show.