Canadian figure skaters Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are totally, definitely, 100 per cent not dating, but Ellen Degeneres isnât quite buying it.
The gold-medal-winning duo appeared on The Ellen Degeneres Show Tuesday, where they once again insisted that â despite their steamy on-ice chemistry â they arenât a couple.
But they did discuss an early romance when they were childhood skating partners, and Moir revealed that he was the one who decided to break things off.
âIn order to advance our partnership, we had to put the hot and heavy relationship on the side,â Moir joked.
Virtue interjected: âWhich meant you had to break up with me.â
âYeah, I broke up with Tessa and none of my friends have let me live that down since,â he said.
Moir and Virtue were invited on the show after their diehard fans barraged The Ellen Degeneres Show with tweets. Virtue said all the attention since their record-setting performance in Pyeongchang has been surprising, and that theyâre both âfiercely privateâ when it comes to social media.
But Degeneres didnât let the pair off the hook so easily, and repeatedly questioned them about their relationship status.
âSo, I mean, are you a couple?â Degeneres asked.
"We are not (a couple), but we always say 'That's a big compliment,"' Virtue said. "What we portray on the ice is really important to us, and we love getting into character and telling a story.
"A lot of the emotions we portray are universal themes that resonate with everyone, so the fact that people feel invested in our partnership is truly remarkable.
"When the music ended (at the Pyeongchang Olympics) I just looked at Scott and I was so grateful to have lived the last 20 years by his side and to share in that moment together."
"So you're a couple," DeGeneres said, to laughter from the crowd.
âIf we were, we would announce it here,â Virtue said.
With five Olympic medals, Virtue and Moir are the most decorated figure skaters in Olympic history. When Ellen asked whether or not they plan to retire from Olympic skating, Virtue was coy.
âIf it is, what a way to go out, on such a high,â she said.
âSo youâll settle down and start a family?â Degeneres asked.
Moir deftly dodged the trap. âFamilies,â he said.
âOh, youâre going to marry different people and stay together?â Degeneres asked.
Moir and Virtue simply laughed.
Despite their platonic relationship, Moir and Virtue fared well in a round of âThe Definitely Not Dating Game,â a riff off the classic gameshow âThe Dating Game.â
The pair answered five of eight questions about each other correctly, including Scottâs favourite TV show (âThe Officeâ), Tessaâs guilty pleasure (chocolate) and Scottâs strangely specific celebrity crush (Reese Witherspoon in the 2005 film âWalk the Line.â)
In the final question â âWhat is Tessaâs go-to coffee order?â â Scott answered a flat white. The answer: an almond milk cappuccino.
âOh well, itâs good yâall arenât together,â Degeneres said. âWell that was a fun game, and we learned that youâre fine just the way you are."