11 January 2024 , 10:34
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Strictly Come Dancing winners Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola won over the nation's hearts with their incredible skills and undeniable chemistry.
The Coronation Street star, 22, and the professional dancer, 31, have been battling romance rumours since they were paired on Strictly many months ago thanks to their chemistry and tendency to be "touchy-feely". After spending some time apart for the festive period, the duo recently reunited and further fuelled the relationship rumours with a sweet video.
Amid the growing speculation about their love lives, Vito and Ellie recently denied the dating rumours but have spent a lot of time sharing sweet tributes about each other and speaking highly of each other in interviews. In their most recent interview together, Ellie and Vito joined Zoe Ball on BBC Radio 2 to open up about their whirlwind year.
Vito and Ellie have built a close bond (Instagram/ @vitocoppola)
The pair have denied dating rumours (WireImage)In the interview, Ellie admitted that when she discovered she was being paired with Vito, she immediately ran and jumped into his arms. The Coronation Street star said she felt "instant chemistry" with the professional dancer - which continued to grow every week they were in the BBC competition.
Opening up about her decision to appear on Strictly Come Dancing, Ellie revealed that she was sick with nerves, but when she was paired with Vito all those worries and concerns went out the window. "I’m a nervous person anyway, I was so scared of everything but when the word Strictly was mentioned I was like ‘Well I can’t say no, who says no to Strictly you have to say yes!' I’m so glad I did, so glad, the experience was life changing, genuinely life changing, we had so much fun, from the first day that we met, we instantly clicked," she shared.
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Vito then joked that the very first day they met, Ellie jumped on him. "The first day when we were paired we just run towards each other, Ellie jumped on me," he recalled. To which Ellie responded: "When we found out we were partners we were just so excited. I couldn't contain my excitement."
The professional dancer then gushed: "I could tell straight away Ellie had potential. I felt since day one, since the first moment, the only thing was making her believe in herself, you have that inside, your soul is there, you are well coordinated, you could do well, just trust me because I believe in you."
As the relationship rumours continue to swirl, fans are begging for Vito and Ellie to make things official. Both are single as Ellie called it quits with her boyfriend back in May while Vito is also said to be back on the market after reportedly enjoying a string of dates with ex-Strictly star Helen Skelton last year.
After winning the series, Ellie paid tribute to her dance partner and friend Vito. She said: "Words cannot describe how I am feeling right now and I cannot believe we have just won Strictly Come Dancing 2023. It’s been a life-changing opportunity and I’ve had the time of my life dancing with Vito every week. It has been so special and to be able to do it with such a great teacher has made it an experience I will never forget. Thank you so much for that, Vito, and thank you for finding the dancer in me."