Jen Aniston's real life Friends romances from tears on set to unrequited love
Throughout its decade-long reign, the characters on Friends ended up in all kinds of couple combinations.
From Ross Geller and Phoebe Buffay's fumble on a pool table to Rachel Green and Joey Tribiani's fling and Monica Geller's marriage to Chandler Bing, the writers really liked to mix things up.
But what about behind the scenes?
It's no secret that romance continued off-screen for Matthew Perry and Julia Roberts after she guest starred as Susie Moss - a woman out for revenge after being pranked by Chandler in school.
Matthew Perry and Julia Roberts had a real-life romance after she appeared on the show (Getty Images)And of course, Jennifer Aniston - who turns 54 today - had her husband Brad Pitt make a guest appearance as a founding member of the 'I Hate Rachel Green Club'.
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But he wasn't the first co-star she had history with. From a brief fling to a failed engagement and the actors who fell head-over-heels for her, here's a look back at Jen's real life Friends romances...
Matt LeBlanc
Romance rumours surrounded Matt LeBlanc and Jennifer Aniston (WireImage)
Their characters Joey and Rachel got together briefly on the show (NBCUniversal via Getty Images)The rumour mill went into overdrive when Matt's dad Paul went rogue and claimed that his son had been secretly 'making out' with Jen.
Both vehemently denied claims of an on-set fling, but Paul insisted Matt had boasted about snogging his co-star.
"He even had a relationship with one of of the girls... Jen," Paul alleged to OK! USA.
"[Matt] got on good with Jen. He told me about it – they would make out in the dressing room," Paul told OK! USA.
But reps for both shut it down, with Jen's publicist stating, "Jennifer has never had a romantic or sexual relationship with Matt LeBlanc."
Tate Donovan
Jennifer Aniston and Tate Donovan broke off their engagement just before he joined the show (Getty Images)
Tate played Rachel's hunky client, Joshua Bergen (NBCUniversal)Tate joined as Rachel Green's hunky Bloomingdale's client for six episodes, but it awkwardly coincided with the end of their real life engagement.
"We were broken up and the producers were like, 'Hey would you wanna do six episodes of the show?' And I was like 'Maybe it would be good to work through this breakup,'" he told the Huffington Post.
"It was horrible. It was so tough, man. I remember just getting back to my dressing room and just weeping."
Matthew Perry
Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry met three years before Friends (WireImage)
He admitted he was still infatuated with Jen by the time they started filming (NBCUniversal via Getty Images)As budding actors living in Los Angeles, Matthew and Jennifer's paths had already crossed three years before Friends.
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And from the moment he met her, Matthew, 53, was smitten.
"I was immediately taken by her (how could I not be?) and liked her, and I got the sense she was intrigued too—maybe it was going to be something," he wrote in his recent autobiography, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.
And when he landed the Friends gig, Jen was the first person he called - although he quickly realised his eagerness had been a mistake.
"I could feel ice forming through the phone," he wrote. "Looking back, it was clear that this made her think I liked her too much or in the wrong kind of way… and I only compounded the error by then asking her out.
Matthew asked Jennifer out, but she politely declined (Getty)"[Jennifer] declined (which made it very difficult to actually go out with her), but said that she'd love to be friends with me, and I compounded the compound by blurting, 'We can't be friends!'"
Unfortunately for Matt, his feelings continued to linger once filming started, making their conversations 'awkward' as he 'crushed badly' on his co-star.
"I'd ask myself, how long can I look at her? Is three seconds too long?"
But the success of the show coupled with her 'deafening lack of interest' eventually cured him and they became lasting friends.
David Schwimmer
Friends fans were hooked by the Ross and Rachel saga (NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
It turned out that David and Jennifer 'crushed hard' on each other all through the first series (David Schwimmer/Instagram)Following her 2005 split from Brad Pitt, rumours flew that Jennifer and her on-screen love interest David Schwimmer (Ross) were dating in real life.
However, David went on to marry British artist Zoe Buckman in 2010 while Jen wed actor Justin Theroux in 2015.
However, at the Friends reunion they finally came clean, admitting they'd had a 'major crush' on each other during the first season of filming the show.
"We were both crushing hard on each other," David said, "but it was like two ships passing because one of us was always in a relationship and we never crossed that boundary. We respected that."
Confirming that the feeling was mutual, Jen recalled telling him: "It's going to be such a bummer if the first time you and I actually kiss is going to be on national television."
Jennifer and David shared their first kiss while in character as Ross and Rachel (NBCUniversal via Getty Images)She continued: "Sure enough, first time we kissed was in that coffee shop. So we just channeled all of our adoration and love for each other into Ross and Rachel."
Further pressed about how far they took their feelings, Jen later told DJ Howard Stern that: "No. I would proudly say I banged Schwimmer if that happened. But no."
Last year, rumours surfaced that the pair had been growing close in light of the revelations with a source telling Closer magazine: "After the reunion, it became clear that reminiscing over the past had stirred up feelings for both of them and that chemistry they'd always had to bury was still there.
"They began texting immediately after filming and, just last month, David flew from his home in New York to see Jen in LA."
However, a representative for David insisted there is 'no truth' to the rumours.
Paul Rudd
Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd are said to have had a fling in the '90s
He joined the show as Mike Hannigan, Phoebe's future husband (NBCUniversal via Getty Images)He might have joined the show as Phoebe Buffay's boyfriend-turned-husband Mike Hannigan, but it was Jen who apparently used to hook up with Paul in real life.
The two are rumoured to have embarked on a brief romance - just before she met Brad Pitt - when Paul played her gay best friend in 1998 movie The Object of My Affection.
They later starred as a couple in 2012 movie, Wanderlust. And asked whether or not it was weird to kiss on screen, Jen joked, "Nah. I've kissed him for years," and Paul quipped, "we've made out for decades."
What did you think about Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer's crush revelations? Share your thoughts in the comments section below...
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