However, I can reveal that those who have been involved in organising the tour believe the couple are keeping a secret from their millions of fans. I’m told that Dan has formed a close friendship with another man who will be joining them on the tour, though sources say he will remain firmly behind the scenes. Multiple sources close to the influencers have contacted me claiming they have been aware of his existence for the last four years and they ask why he has never been mentioned in any of their videos. ‘It’s really bewildering that they don’t mention this man in anything they do,’ says my source. ‘They have been planning this massive podcast tour and Dan’s “friend” is due to go. You have to wonder how he must feel, he’s so supportive to Dan and Phil. To some the pair come across like business partners stuck in a job who have to tolerate each other until the next windfall comes. ‘When they announced they were together, Phil’s channel views were falling and Dan’s tour hadn’t performed as well as expected. They’re about to head off on another world tour where the whole thing is built around Dan and Phil being “soulmates” and they have relentlessly pushed their “couple” merchandise, which has been criticised for being shoddy by those involved in their projects.’ [...]

However, despite ‘breaking the internet’ with their revelation, some fans have questioned whether Dan and Phil have ever actually been together. There is wide speculation amongst their following that the pair realised that being in a relationship would help revive their brand. Some eagle-eyed followers have noticed that despite being in a ‘relationship’, they at times appear to slip up and call one another ‘mate’ or ‘friend.’ My source says: ‘The pair of them love money and nice things and they are making around £20,000 per week at the moment just from YouTube, which since their announcement, has been couple content. ‘There is a view that they scoured all of the fan pages and went with whatever the fans are saying. The team around them couldn’t believe it when Dan and Phil did the video announcing their relationship but I guess it makes sense, it generates cash.’ Dan and Phil’s story stretches back to 2009. Phil, who grew up in Rawtenstall, Lancashire, had already built a successful YouTube following after launching his AmazingPhil channel in 2006. Dan discovered his videos, became a fan and eventually contacted him online.

Videos titled ‘How We Really Feel About Weddings’ and ‘Will Phil Propose To Dan?’ and ‘Our First Christmas As A Couple’ are just a few that the pair have released since their announcement – all of which have racked up around 400,000 views each. Very few internet creators have enjoyed such a level of success as this pair have achieved and yet those familiar with the inner workings of Brand Dan and Phil tell me that at times they have been surprised that they are not quite as jovial and wholesome behind the scenes. In fact, one claims to have witnessed the pair ‘make sly digs’ at their fans which they have found ‘difficult’. Now, as they prepare to embark on that sold-out worldwide tour, built entirely around their love story, questions persist. Will one of the internet's most talked about couples confirm their romance, or has this pairings become more about their brand than love? Dan and Phil have been approached for comment.