Between them, they are the hottest property in ballet: he the bad boy who made his name as a tattooed, brooding prodigy and she the darling of critics constantly tipped as the next big thing.

Sergei Poluninand Natalia Osipova, who have electrified the dance world both on-stage and off thanks to a series of scandals, have announced they are to perform together for the first time in the UK, as they make a surprise move into contemporary dance.

Polunin and Osipova, who confirmed they are in a relationship, said their blossoming romance had led them to swap classical ballet for contemporary, as they condemned the traditional companies who banned them from partnering one another.

Polunin, who famously walked out of the Royal Ballet in 2012, accused classical ballet companies of refusing to allow real-life couples to dance together, fearing their alliance off-stage would give them too much control over productions.

The pair will now star together in a new prequel to A Streetcar Named Desire at Sadler’s Wells, with Osipova taking the role of Blanche, and Polunin playing Stanley.

The ballerina, a principal at the Royal Ballet, will return from injury for a three-part season of contemporary dance, saying she wants to take on a new challenge while she is at the peak of her dancing career.

It is the first time the pair have publicly confirmed they are romantically involved after months of rumours.

Osipova’s love life has previously been in the spotlight following the so-called “Bolshoi Ballet love-triangle”, which saw her split from fiance Ivan Vasiliev after he fell for fellow dancer Maria Vinogradova. The pair are now married after Osipova moved to London to continue her career.

Polunin’s own personal life has been even more colourful, leaving fans fascinated by his tempestuous career, raw talent, and tales of owning tattoo parlours and dancing while on drugs.

They have now appeared side-by-side at Sadler’s Wells new season announcement, which will see Osipova worked with renowned choreographers Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Russell Maliphant and Arthur Pita.

When asked if they were now a couple, the pair giggled and appeared shy before Polunin admitted: “Yes”.

Saying performing together would now be extra-special, he added the couple had not been able to work together in classical ballet since becoming an item.

“At the moment it’s actually a bit hard because for some reason big theatres are trying to separate us, which is an interesting thing,” he said. “They make it impossible for us to dance together.

“For artists to feel the real emotion for your partner, it’s very important and the audience can always see the truth.”

When asked why they could not dance together at classical companies, Polunin said: “It’s not just with us, it’s always been an issue and I don’t understand why.

“When people want to dance together, directors are doing everything possible to separate them.

“I guess so you don’t have too much power? It’s easier to control people when you separate them. When you are together, you’re the power. You can say and choose what to do.

“It’s happening in major companies.”

The pair said they had noticed the trend particularly in Russia, and hoped to persuade the Royal Ballet to let them work together in the future. They have worked together numerous times before, including in a performance of Giselle at La Scala earlier this year, before going public with their relationship.

A spokesman for the Royal Ballet said it had no policy against couples starring together on stage, and had cast real-life partners in many productions in its history.

Osipova is due to return to the Royal Ballet in January after a period of absence due to injury, and will appear at Sadler’s Wells in June and July of next year.

She told a press conference she had wanted to take on a contemporary dance challenge while she is at her “peak”, breaking new boundaries by making her performances more like “dramatic theatre”.

Polunin said: “I think she has the greatest talent. I hope I will be a good add-on.”

Osipova will be following in the footsteps of Sylvie Guillem and Tamara Rojoin making the move to contemporary dance, after working with the Bolshoi, Royal Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and Mikhailovsky Ballet.

Polunin has already dabbled in contemporary dance in the last few years, reaching new audiences with a remarkable stand-alone video performance of Hozier’s Take Me To Church.

The Spring-Summer season at Sadler’s Wells will also include a production of Bartabas starring live horses, an “immersive, sensory” production without dancers called No Body, and a series of three pieces by female choreographers.

The three works will receive their world premiere on world premiere from 29 June to 2 July 2016, as Sadler’s Wells, London.