Has Strictly winner fallen for his dance partner? Jay McGuiness insists he and Aliona are just friends. But what WILL her husband make of these shots of them leaving show after-party....

Standing alone in the early hours of Sunday morning, Strictly winners Jay McGuiness and Aliona Vilani embrace. It is a moment of undeniable intimacy.

Having taken their leave after the hullabaloo of their Strictly Come Dancing win and after-party, the couple can be seen walking along a road holding hands, before Aliona places a tender hand around Jay’s neck and draws his face towards hers.

There, she seems to whisper into the 25-year-old boyband singer’s ear as he closes his eyes. We can only speculate as to what the married 31-year-old dancer had to say.

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Besotted: Strictly winners Jay McGuiness and Aliona Vilani embrace in a moment of undeniable intimacy

Close bond: Having taken their leave after the hullabaloo of their Strictly Come Dancing win and after-party, the couple can be seen walking along a road holding hands

For truth be told, in these extraordinary pictures they look every bit as much a couple off the screen as they did on it.

No wonder rumours that their relationship is more than strictly professional have reached fever pitch. On Saturday night, when they won Strictly Come Dancing, millions watched Jay pressing his face against Aliona’s, pulling her into his arms as they were crowned champions of the show.

She responded by caressing his face and leaning up to place a kiss on his cheek.

Eagle-eyed onlookers even speculated that Jay appeared to mouth ‘I love you’ through his tears.

See the latest Strictly Come Dancing news on winners Jay McGuiness and Aliona Vilani 

Quick cuddle: No wonder rumours that their relationship is more than strictly professional have reached fever pitch

Holding the Glitterball trophy for the first time, he said, his voice breaking with emotion: ‘This is one of the most special things I have ever done, with the most special person.’

And only a few hours before the final, when being interviewed, he told Aliona, recently married to businessman Vincent Kavanagh: ‘There is so much I want to say. I’ll just say that I love you to pieces.’

After embracing him she replied: ‘I love you, too.’

Take my hand? Keeping some distance at first, the former Wanted star and his professional dance partner were seen chatting animatedly - during which Aliona reached out towards Jay

A helping hand: Ensuring that the newly crowned Strictly champ didn't drop any of his bags, Aliona and Jay shared a smile as they walked down the street in Elstree, Hertfordshire together

Eyes on each other: Strolling down the street together the pair appeared well at ease with one another - unsurprising given the time they've spent in the dance studio together over the past months

The couple’s tactile behaviour is not, it has been noticed, confined to the dancefloor. Whether flirting on the Strictly sofa after their performances or holding hands when out on the town, Jay and Aliona have been inseparable.

On one occasion, while standing on the street late at night waiting for a cab, Jay was pictured wrapping his arms around the Kazakhstan beauty, who was wearing his blazer. The singer can be seen lovingly leaning down to press his cheek against hers.

Throughout the final, too, the pair remained virtually inseparable, holding each other tightly at every available opportunity.

Getting closer: With some extra height added to her petite frame thanks to her towering heels, Aliona looked Jay in the face as she paused in the street to share a quiet word with him

A private moment: Pulling him close with her free hand, the Kazakhstan-born beauty whispered something to Jay which appeared to give the singer pause for thought

Hand-in-hand: As they resumed their stroll, the pair clasped each others hands

Different perspectives? While Aliona appeared to still be in high spirits, Jay appeared to be lost deep in his own thoughts as they walked down the quiet street together

While their fellow finalists, Kellie Bright, Katie Derham and Georgia May Foote, were all more than happy to put their arms around their partners while the cameras were rolling, the winning pair remained at each other’s side constantly.

Show staff even had to separate the couple on a number of occasions, to stand them in the correct places for filming. Still, Jay lovingly held his partner’s hand behind his back while filming was under way.

The pair’s affection for each other did not go unnoticed by social media users, who took to Twitter to comment on the chemistry between them.

A quick word? Arriving at the packed wrap party, the pair didn't seem in a rush to enter as they enjoyed another quiet word before joining the rest of the show's cast and crew

Supporting one another: Pulling Aliona close to him Jay and the dancer didn't seem to mind anyone at the venue seeing them share a cosy embrace

Friends: The dance partners enjoyed one last tender embrace before they entered the party with Jay leaning his head against Aliona's

The site also went into overdrive after he grabbed her face with both hands following their pasodoble.

One wrote ‘Jay and Aliona are in love and it’s painfully obvious’, while another commented: ‘Wow, there’s something definitely going on with Jay and Aliona. I would not be a happy husband watching my missus acting like that.’

Indeed, one can’t help but feel a degree of sympathy for Aliona’s husband of barely a year, salesman Vincent Kavanagh.

Sizzling duo: Throughout the final, too, the pair remained virtually inseparable, holding each other tightly at every available opportunity

On Monday morning Jay spoke about his connection with Aliona during an interview with Lorraine Kelly. 

'When you dance with someone you have to create romance sometimes and people then want to see that almost. But a lot of the time the papers create it and that sort of thing, but I think no matter what I say people will write whatever they want to write.

'We did something that so few people do together, I genuinely will treasure it forever. Honestly, you spend that many hours together you talk about every single thing, like the most trivial and the most pretentious, literally everything. No matter what happens you get a best friend out of Strictly.'

Show staff even had to separate the couple on a number of occasions, to stand them in the correct places for filming. Still, Jay lovingly held his partner’s hand behind his back while filming was under way

While Jay has denied rumours of intimacy between them, it’s difficult not to come to the conclusion that Jay — sensitive and shy — has fallen like a ton of bricks for Aliona

While Jay has denied rumours of intimacy between them, it’s difficult not to come to the conclusion that Jay — sensitive and shy — has fallen like a ton of bricks for Aliona. The two of them have been sharing a dressing room for the last few weeks — a highly unusual move. A source has revealed that he made it clear he would do the Strictly tour next year only if he could dance with her. The BBC, sensing box-office gold, agreed.

‘I have fallen in love with Strictly,’ is all that he will say. She says that he is ‘absolutely my favourite dance partner’.

So has the Strictly ‘curse’ — which has seen dancers and celebrities fall in love — struck again? Or is this simply a tenderness born on the dance floor, and destined to stay there? 

Indeed, one can’t help but feel a degree of sympathy for Aliona’s husband of barely a year, salesman Vincent Kavanagh (pictured with Aliona)

From the start, Jay was in awe of Aliona. ‘I looked like a huge mountain of hair wandering around the stage, and she was this . . . bombshell,’ he recalled. His natural nerves were her first challenge. Tweets posted by him in September said: ‘I blundered my way through that rehearsal like a drunk penguin with a limp. And back issues. And mental health issues.’

A few days later he wrote: ‘Oh dear, I just watched the group dance. Knuckle down for an awkward but probably mercifully brief ride. I looked like a lost wooden spoon.’

Their first dance, incidentally, garnered a measly five from judge Craig Revel Horwood.

However, Aliona has a reputation as a formidable martinet. She drove boyband star Harry Judd of McFly to victory back in 2011.

She is said to have been ‘guaranteed’ a good partner by her bosses at the BBC after being voted off first with much-married Master-Chef presenter Gregg Wallace last year — and has now taken that good partner to victory.

Aliona has a reputation as a formidable martinet. She drove boyband star Harry Judd of McFly to victory back in 2011

Quite simply, the viewers at home couldn’t get enough of him and Aliona and whatever was developing between them

‘She is a very tough cookie,’ says a show source. ‘On the tour last year she was very picky and complaining, and people said she made Nancy Dell’Olio look like a walk in the park by comparison.

‘She isn’t popular with everyone, but you have to admire how competitive she is.’

She’s definitely tough: last year she threatened to sue one-time dance partner Brendan Cole after he used her image on promotional posters without permission.

Her strategy with Jay, though, was not to use the stick as she did with Gregg Wallace and Tony Jacklin, but to give nervous Jay plenty of carrot.

Indeed, this week one dancer referred to her strategy with Jay, who found fame in the band The Wanted, as ‘love-bombing’.

They would go out together — to the pub with his family at weekends, and showbiz events in the week. Her husband, Vincent, would come along as well, but Aliona seemed to make sure she was as close as she could be to Jay.

Pictures of them waiting for a taxi, with his jacket around her shoulders, sparked talk of romance in the early weeks.

A little later they emerged as a three from the private members’ club Annabel’s, with Aliona kissing him goodnight and putting him in a taxi home.

Aliona constantly held his hand, and they had a very tactile relationship. Appearing every week on the spin-off show It Takes Two, she would snuggle delicately into his arm and lean her head on his shoulder. On stage, their dances were all smouldering sexual chemistry.

Appearing every week on the spin-off show It Takes Two, she would snuggle delicately into his arm and lean her head on his shoulder. On stage, their dances were all smouldering sexual chemistry

What Aliona seems to have realised is that their symmetry was just what was needed to help Jay, a naturally talented dancer with years of formal training, to achieve his potential.

They were never in the dance-off, meaning they were among the most popular couples in the series. And while the judges at the final preferred the dances by Georgia May Foote and Kellie Bright, leaving Jay in third place, the public vote handed him victory.

Quite simply, the viewers at home couldn’t get enough of him and Aliona and whatever was developing between them. Every kiss and caress, choreographed by her, made them more popular. They have been the bookies’ favourites for the past five weeks, cemented by their brilliant salsa and Dr Who-themed Charleston in Blackpool.

As you might expect, Aliona’s husband reportedly had reservations about this. It was said she banned him from the studios after a series of rows over her closeness to Jay.

A source said last month: ‘It’s clear to everyone on Strictly that Aliona and Jay have become close, and that hasn’t been lost on Vincent. In their latest row, Aliona lost her temper and said: “That’s it. Don’t come any more.” She felt that he was too much of a distraction.’

But any such reservations have obviously been overcome as Vincent was among those at the show on Saturday night. And there is no suggestion that he and Aliona are on the rocks. Jay has latterly declined to make any comment about the possible romance, but early on he said: ‘Within an hour of meeting Vincent I hoped we would form a lifelong friendship — he’s so lovely. We’re all as thick as thieves together.’

He added that he had a girlfriend himself — although he hasn’t brought anyone who might be a girlfriend to watch him on the show.

Is it possible he is just a bit in love with Aliona?

Their backstage arrangements, could almost be designed to raise suspicion. Whereas all the other professional dancers share changing facilities, Aliona moved into Jay’s spacious dressing room.

Naturally, this made gossip about an ‘affair’ spread like wildfire. One source said: ‘Aliona is extremely protective of Jay. He’s rarely out of her sight and he’s totally in awe of her. Everyone is talking about it.’

It was said that Aliona banned Jay from texting other female dancers or celebrities on the show, and disapproved of him being close to anyone but her.

‘She told him that they needed to be as one in every way in order to win,’ I’m told.

Their backstage arrangements, could almost be designed to raise suspicion. Whereas all the other professional dancers share changing facilities, Aliona moved into Jay’s spacious dressing room

Family is important to Jay. The son of an electrician, Andrew, and his wife Maureen, Jay grew up in working-class Catholic household in Newark, Notts

She was behind him cutting off his shoulder-length hair in September, reasoning that he needed to look more manly to appeal. She is also said to have required that he cut down his alcohol consumption — which he did.

She also provided him with a shoulder to cry on when his beloved grandfather, John, died last month.

Family is important to Jay. The son of an electrician, Andrew, and his wife Maureen, Jay grew up in working-class Catholic household in Newark, Notts.

His parents split when he was still young, with Andrew moving out while Maureen stayed behind with the children.

Jay’s twin, Tom, and older brother, Luke, now 28, both inherited her love of football — they are fanatical Nottingham Forest supporters, along with youngest siblings Sean, 21, and Eleanor, 19.

Jay, though, always hankered after a showbiz career. He tried his hand at Irish dancing at school then joined his mum at a tap dancing class at the Charlotte Hamilton School Of Dance in Newark — his path was set.

He had theatre and ballet lessons throughout his teens and at 16 took up a place at the Midlands Academy Of Dance And Drama in Nottingham, living in a rented house for two years and doing various jobs to get by. His ultimate dream was a career in the West End.

Aliona and Jay were never in the dance-off, meaning they were among the most popular couples in the series. And while the judges at the final preferred the dances by Georgia May Foote and Kellie Bright, leaving Jay in third place, the public vote handed him victory

At 19, though, he auditioned for a place in the boyband The Wanted and they had a sensational three years at the top. The group had a hiatus in 2013 after making a fly-on-the-wall show about their boozy party-heavy lifestyles.

Jay was in a fight in the foyer of a nightclub in Essex. He then spent 18 months ‘doing nothing’ in Los Angeles. He said: ‘I’ve just been going to music festivals and travelling and it’s been really fun, but I wanted some routine.

‘I just want to do whatever the next thing is, whatever the next adventure is.’

And what an adventure this has been. The couple’s sensational Pulp Fiction-inspired jive in week three was the highlight of the series, and quite possibly the best dance in the history of the show.

More significantly, along the way, a ‘life-changing’ friendship has been formed. Every one of the 11 million Strictly viewers could see how inseparable, they were.

Jay said: ‘Lots of things make Aliona special. You don’t meet many people like Aliona and when you do you want to keep them in your life.

‘I love learning dances from her — how patient she was with me, how much fun we’d have every day and that developed over time to just be like a really firm friendship.’

Last night he concluded: ‘It’s a wonderful Glitterball, but that’s more for the people. Who wins, it’s just a symbol. We’ve already got what we want from the show.’

And that is — each other.

Angry viewers say near-perfect Kellie was robbed 

He found himself bottom of the leader board following harsh critiques from the judges, but boyband heart-throb Jay McGuiness, 25, was still crowned the winner of Strictly Come Dancing 2015.

His victory left viewers stunned, with many claiming that EastEnders actress Kellie Bright, 39, and her professional dance partner Kevin Clifton, 33, were robbed of the glitterball trophy. The pair received glowing reviews for all three of their performances and were just one point off a perfect score for their trio of dances.

Many claimed that EastEnders actress Kellie Bright, 39, and her professional dance partner Kevin Clifton, 33, were robbed of the glitterball trophy

Kellie and Kevin topped the leaderboard with 119 points, while McGuiness found himself on 110 points until the public voted him into top spot

Disgruntled supporters criticised the result on Twitter. One posted: ‘I think Jay is a great dancer, but on the basis of tonight’s performances he didn’t deserve to win.’

Another wrote: ‘Tears in our house tonight after Strictly vote.’ A third said: ‘Gutted that Kellie and Kevin didn’t win.’ They even melted the heart of judge Craig Revel Horwood, who gave them two perfect ten scores — the first he’s awarded all series!

They topped the leaderboard with 119 points, while McGuiness found himself on 110 points until the public voted him into top spot. The Wanted singer was crowned along with partner Aliona Vilani, who became the first professional dancer on the show to win the title twice.

Mr McGuiness’s tech-savvie young fan base could be the reason behind his surprise victory as many later took to social media admitting that they voted for him numerous times.