Few things excite Home and Away viewers more than when two favourite actors fall in love on set.
After a very telling Instagram post from the soap’s set, it appears that romance may be blooming between Ethan Browne and Jacqui Purvis.
Jacquie, who portrays Felicity on the programme, shared four photos of Ethan with a witty text mocking the actor.
“I get to work with @atlas143 on sometimes… it’s tough,” she wrote.
The image of them staring into one other’s eyes, not her words, sent the internet into a frenzy.
Jacqui also shared two photos of Ethan sniffing flowers and a hazy photo of the two of them giggling together.
“It’s a problem for me too ?,” Ethan, who portrays Tane Parata, said in the comments section, “but I’m a professional and get on with it as best I can.”
The unusual interaction between the stars piqued the curiosity of fans and followers, with many guessing on their relationship status.
“Low key, you two would make a fantastic pair ?,” one person said, while another asked, “Do we see a real-life couple on the horizon?”
“There’s a ? with you people,” a third admirer said, pointing out what we can all see.
Ethan also posted a photo of himself in a car with Jacqui, where his arm appears to be resting on her leg as he poses with a walkie talkie.
He captioned the telling photo, “Away shoot with this annoyance.”
This isn’t the first time the couple has shared rumour mill-inspiring photos; in August, Jacqui tweeted two black-and-white photos of herself piggybacking on Ethan, captioning them “Behind the scenes with E.T.”
Fans speculated on the image, with one asking, “Are they dating irl?” and another asking, “Are you both close friends?”
If these two are more than buddies, they’ll be joining Sophie Dillman and Patrick O’Connor, who are also in love.
The long-term pair met in acting school in Queensland, but since joining Home and Away, their relationship has grown and reached new heights.
Sophie told Now To Love earlier this year, “We were work pals initially, and it’s helped us work well together now, so we’re blessed in that aspect.”
“It’s good to have a friendship-based connection. We’re best friends first and foremost, and we treat each other as such, but it’s also strengthened our bond from the start.”
James Stewarts and Sarah Roberts, who met on the show when Sarah joined the cast as Willow in 2017, are also beloved by fans.
Sarah even remarked that their amorous interactions together seemed entirely natural.
“It’s simple because there’s actual chemistry — I don’t even have to act!” she added.
The pair married twice in 2019: one in a simple ceremony in Sydney’s Coogee for the legal signing of the documents, and then in a lavish ceremony at an Irish castle.
