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Canadian ice dancers and Olympic gold medallists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir have announced their retirement from the sport.

The pair became household names when they won gold at the 2010 Olympics, ending a streak of European dominance that had existed since the sport became an Olympic event in 1976.

They also won gold at Pyeongchang 2018.

"After 22 years, it feels like the right time to step away from the sport," Virtue said.

Virtue, 30, and Moir, 32, started skating together in 1997. As well as two Olympic titles, they also won silver at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi and combined for three world championships and eight national championships, amassing a legion of fans along the way.

"The next generation of skaters is going to blaze new trails, break all of our records and we can't wait to cheer them on," said Moir.

"And we'll be there watching."

The pair have been celebrities in their home country for nearly a decade, since winning their first gold in 2010 during the Vancouver games.

They became a viral sensation during the 2018 Winter Olympics with a routine choreographed to El Tango De Roxanne from the film Moulin Rouge.

Virtue and Moir have large social media followings, and their chemistry on the ice led to rumours that they were dating each other, which both denied.

"It's more about a friendship, our working relationship is so strong. We take so much pride in that," Moir told Maclean's Magazine in January 2018.