Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer dropped a huge bombshell on the Friends Reunion special – they almost dated in real life!
During a sit-down with host James Corden, the stars of the sitcom were asked if any of them had ever indulged in any off-screen romances, with Jennifer, who played Rachel Green, then turning to David and suggesting he answer.
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"The first season I had a major crush on Jen – we were both crushing hard on one another," David – who played Jennifer's on-screen love interest Ross Geller – said.
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"But it was like two ships passing ‘cause one of us was always in a relationship and we never crossed that boundary. We respected that," he added.
Jennifer admitted that David's feelings were "reciprocated", and said the pair would "spoon and fall asleep on the couch" together during breaks in rehearsal.
Speaking about their first kiss, Jennifer recalled: "Honestly, I remember saying one time to David, 'It's going to be such a bummer if the first time you and I actually kiss is going to be on national television.'
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© Photo: Getty ImagesJennifer and David had their first kiss as Ross and Rachel
"Sure enough, first time we kissed was in that coffee shop. So we just channelled all of our adoration and love for each other into Ross and Rachel."
The pair's co-star Courteney Cox, who played Monica Geller, admitted that it was for the best that Jennifer and David were only romantically involved on screen.
"How great though, ultimately," she said. "Because if you had [acted on it] and it didn't work out, it would have not probably been as great [on the show]."
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe cast had a strict 'no hook-ups' rule
Speaking ahead of the reunion, David and co-star Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing, revealed that the cast also had a strict "no hook-up rule" while filming.
"There was a rule that we had, it was really important to the six of us, that we kept a friendship; that we were friends," Matthew told Access, explaining further that they didn't want to do anything that would add "strangeness" to the dynamic.
David added: "We didn't want to jeopardise any of the great relationships and friendships we were forming and had established. It was kind of an unspoken [rule]."
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