From Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor in Moulin Rouge, to Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in La La Land: 12 on-screen couples that make us go totally gooey for love 

• e-mail

There is nothing like watching a movie romance to give you the warm fuzzies. Those perfect love stories, that tend to leave us hanging with a soaring kiss in the rain or tragic parting of star-crossed lovers before the credits roll and the on-screen couple have to deal with the mundane realities of a relationship.

There is no arguing over who takes out the rubbish, paying bills, or watching TV with takeaway for our most beloved iconic romances - because who wants reality when you can make clay pottery together to the tune of Unchained Melody?

As one of our favourite Hollywood couplings of the moment, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, team up for the third time in exhilarating, music-filled romance La La Land, we look back at some of Hollywood's most memorable love stories.

From Kate and Leo in Titanic, to Ali and Ryan in Love Story and Tom and Meg in Sleepless in Seattle, these are the on-screen couples who melted our hearts and made us believe in a magical kind of love. 

KATE WINSLET AND LEONARDO DICAPRIO IN TITANIC

Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio starred in one of the most successful romances of all time Titanic 

Rose promised Jack she'd never let go, and movie fans are yet to let go of one of the most iconic Hollywood love stories, almost two decades on.

Kate and Leo had such incredible on-screen chemistry in Titanic, many fans refused to believe the actors were just friends off-camera.

From the steamy scene in the back of the car below deck, to the 'I'm flying, Jack!' moment as they sailed into the sunset, and THAT portrait painting scene, it is little wonder Kate and Leo's ill-fated romance remains an enduring favourite. 

As Rose and Jack, the couple had us swooning over their doomed love story

NICOLE KIDMAN AND EWAN MCGREGOR IN MOULIN ROUGE!

Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor sizzled in musical Moulin Rouge!

Another epic love story that had audiences convinced the chemistry couldn't just be for the cameras. 

And while Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor's romance in the all-singing, all-dancing Moulin Rouge! was all make-believe, one thing that was real was the actress' reaction to Ewan's rendition of Your Song. 

Nicole wrote that hearing Ewan singing his character's love story to her gave her 'tingles'

Recalling filming the extravagant scene in which the courtesan and writer fall in love ten years after its release, Kidman wrote: 'I must have heard him sing that to me well over 500 times and I still get tingles.' And so do audiences.

EMMA STONE AND RYAN GOSLING IN LA LA LAND 

Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are set to team up as on-screen lovers for the third time in La La Land

They first teamed up as on-screen lovers in Crazy, Stupid, Love (his six-pack in the film sending him straight to top of many lust lists), and the partnering was so successful they did it again in Gangster Squad. But Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling's latest, La La Land, is mooted to be their best yet.

The enchanting romance about two artists falling for each other while trying to make it in Hollywood has been called 'a primary coloured explosion of pure delight' by one reviewer and is garnering Oscar buzz ahead of its December release.

Stone is Mia, an aspiring actress who serves up coffee to real stars on the Warner Bros lot. Gosling plays Sebastian, a jazz pianist who dreams of opening his own club. The couple fall head over heels in love, but there are bumps on the road to stardom.

The couple play struggling artists Sebastian and Mia, who fall in love while trying to make it big in Hollywood

ELIZABETH TAYLOR AND RICHARD BURTON IN CLEOPATRA 

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton sparked one of Hollywood's most iconic love affairs while filming Cleopatra

It was the movie that sparked one of Hollywood's most passionate, scandalous and memorable love stories. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton fell hard for each other on the set of 1963's Cleopatra, and steamed up the screen in the process. 

A famous anecdote from the set revealed that one kiss went on for so long, the director had to interrupt to ask if he could call 'cut' - but the actors carried on with their embrace.

The couple's chemistry was condemned by The Vatican, who called it ‘erotic vagrancy', but the public and press lapped it up, riveted by the on-off affair and subsequent marriages and divorces for years to come.

ANGELINA JOLIE AND BRAD PITT IN MR AND MRS SMITH

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's on-screen chemistry carried on off-camera, and they soon became one of Hollywood's most powerful couples

Just like Taylor and Burton before them, Brad and Ange's chemistry spilled over off-camera, and they soon became one of Hollywood's most powerful couples.

Their love affair sent shock waves around the world when it was revealed in 2005, and so did their recent split, which left fans of the couple devastated.

While Brangelina may be no longer, their saucy scenes in Mr and Mrs Smith remain a huge hit with their fans.

RACHEL MCADAMS AND RYAN GOSLING IN THE NOTEBOOK

Before there was Emma and Ryan, there was Rachel and Ryan in The Notebook

Before Emma Stone stole Ryan's heart over and over, there was only one woman for him. Ryan's romance with Rachel McAdams on and off-camera made The Notebook an instant classic in 2004, and set the bar for how we expected true love to be.

Noah's unwavering dedication to his love Allie despite years of separation, her engagement to another man, and illness made hearts melt all over the world. If she's a bird, he's a bird, right? 

The movie became an instant classic when it was released and set the bar high for real life romance

JULIA ROBERTS AND HUGH GRANT IN NOTTING HILL 

Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant made us believe love between a movie star and and an ordinary man was possible in Notting Hill

She was just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her. Cue millions of hearts breaking. Notting Hill managed to make moviegoers believe that true love can blossom even in the most unlikely of circumstances... even between a huge movie star and an ordinary guy on the street.

Julia's beautiful and talented but temper-prone actress and Hugh's bumbling but charming bookshop owner somehow made a match made in heaven - or London - and set to the tune of Ronan Keating's cheesy hit When You Say Nothing At All, how could we not fall in love?

JENNIFER LAWRENCE AND BRADLEY COOPER IN SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper's chemistry in Silver Linings Playbook was so popular, they continued working together... three more times and counting

Jennifer and Bradley rival Emma and Ryan in repeat collaborations, but their first in Silver Linings Playbook is arguably their most memorable.

In the offbeat Oscar-winning movie, Bradley plays a bipolar man recently released from an asylum who teams up with a depressed widow, played by Jennifer. He promises to partner her in a dance competition if she helps him contact his ex-wife - and this unlikely scenario somehow leads to them finding love.

ALI MACGRAW AND RYAN O'NEAL IN LOVE STORY

One of the most beloved romances of all time was the heart-wrenching one between Ali McGraw and Ryan O'Neal in Love Story

This tragic tale remains one of the most beloved love stories of all time. Some called the 1970 hit overly sentimental and melodramatic, but few could get through this film without reaching for the tissues as Ryan O'Neal's character Oliver defied his wealthy family to be with Ali MacGraw's Jenny, and his devastation as she succumbed to illness.

Despite the movie's often-mocked relationship advice in the form of that famous quote: 'Love means never having to say you're sorry', the heart-wrenching story endures as one of the most popular and successful romantic tales.

MEG RYAN AND TOM HANKS IN SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE

They may have only had one scene together in Sleepless in Seattle, but it was memorable one, and made Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan's movie a huge hit

They may have only had one scene together in this rom-com classic, but Meg and Tom became one of the most popular Hollywood pairings in their roles as a grieving widower who confides his feelings on a radio talk show, and a reporter who falls in love with him despite never having met him.

The duo's universal likability and on-screen chemistry made Sleepless in Seattle a monster hit, and led to them pairing up again in You've Got Mail.

REESE WITHERSPOON AND RYAN PHILLIPPE IN CRUEL INTENTIONS

The only real life couple in this list who were an item before filming started, it made the chemistry between Ryan and Reese all the more sizzling in Cruel Intentions

Unlike many of the couples in this article who fell for each other on set, Ryan and Reese were already an item before work began on Cruel Intentions. 

The couple had some intense love and fighting scenes together, and the actors later revealed shooting those scenes left them deeply upset.

The chemistry between their good girl and bad boy characters certainly made for fireworks on-screen, and while Ryan and Reese eventually parted ways, Sebastian and Annette remain one of our favourite movie couples. 

DEMI MOORE AND PATRICK SWAYZE IN GHOST   

Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze's passionate romance in Ghost made us believe that true love can transcend even death

Ghost made us see pottery in a totally new light after that sensual scene between Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze in which they mould clay as Unchained Melody plays in the background.

The scene is early in the film, before he is fatally shot, and sets the tone for the passion the couple share. 

This tale made us believe that true love can transcend even death, as Swayze's character Sam communicates with his heartbroken girlfriend Molly from beyond the grave.