She has always denied any hint of a romance, but we can reveal that Natasha Kaplinsky IS dating her Strictly Come Dancing partner Brendan Cole.At last weekend's 2004 TV Moments bash, 29-year-old Cole confessed to one of our spies: "It's just not the right time to announce our love in public.

"It's a difficult situation. We both have previous partners and we don't want to hurt people's feelings."

The ballroom pro added that BBC news presenter Nat was a "great person" and said they'd grown really close over the last few months.

So close, in fact, that they are rumoured to be house-hunting and have set their hearts on a luxury riverside apartment on the Thames.

They were shown around a three-bedroom property at the exclusive Battersea Reach complex in South-West London.

Yet Natasha has always denied they were having an affair.

She said recently, "We're just good friends". And, when pressed, described the question as "b******s".

The pair were certainly at pains to keep up the old pals act when they received a gong for Most Entertaining TV Moment Of The Year at the awards.

An onlooker tells us, "It was amusing to watch the act they put on. When there were cameras around they kept their distance, but once they thought no one was watching it was a different story.

"Their body language was incredibly intimate - Brendan had his hand on Natasha's bum and she was lovingly picking fluff from his lapel. They didn't look like they were just friends."

Breakfast host Natasha, 32, first waltzed into Brendan's life when he partnered her on the first series of BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing.

At the time, she was dating TV producer Lloyd Bracey, and Brendan was engaged to Camilla Dallerup - another dance teacher on the show.

The obvious sexual chemistry between Nat and Brendan, who went on to win, set tongues wagging.

And Camilla called off the engagement a few weeks after the show ended.

Suspicions that Nat and Brendan were closer than they were letting on were further aroused when she was caught glaring at him as he talked to blonde Casualty star Sarah Manners in the second series.

We're told, "Brendan was chatting to Sarah and it was obviously not going down well with Natasha. She was giving him evil glares."

Now that their secret's out, let's see her dance her way out of this one...

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