The Ross and Rachel love saga was one of Friends’ defining and most popular storylines, but the actors have now revealed how it nearly translated into real life. 

David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston have told of how they almost followed in their characters’ footsteps after “crushing hard” on each other after first meeting. 

The pair made the confession during the Friends reunion, which sees the main cast come together on camera for the first time since the sitcom ended in 2004.

“The first season I had a major crush on Jen,” David revealed. “And I think we both, at some point, were crushing hard on each other 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.”

Jennifer agreed and confirmed their first kiss came on screen when Ross and Rachel embraced in Central Perk during season two’s The One Where Ross Finds Out.

“I remember saying at one point to David, ‘It’s going to be such a bummer if the first time you and I actually kiss is gonna be on national television!’ ” she said, according to the New York Post. “Sure enough, the first time we kissed was in that coffee shop,”

She added: “So we just channelled all of our adoration and love for each other into Ross and Rachel.”

The Friends cast also had a strict “no hook up” rule in place, that director Jim Burrows first introduced at the show’s inception. 

In an interview with Access prior to the reunion, Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing, said: “There was a rule that we had – it was really important to the six of us that we kept a friendship, that we were friends.

“If we were hooking up, or there was any strangeness going on, that could have messed with things.”

He continued: “So we kept a friendship, and we did become really good friends. And we are really good friends to this day. And we kept that going, and I think that was very important.”

A trailer for the episode has promised many tears and plenty of laughter as Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer reminisce about the iconic sitcom that propelled them to global fame. 

It has also been revealed that Lisa will be serving up an A-list performance as she duets with a music superstar on a version of Phoebe Buffay’s famous song, Smelly Cat. 

Friends: The Reunion will air in the UK on Thursday 27 May at 8pm on Sky One, and will be available to stream on NOW from the same time. 

HuffPost may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Prices and availability subject to change.