THE ‘STRICTLY’ COUPLE TO BEAT
ROMANCE RUMOURS BUILD AS THE BLACKPOOL BALLROOM BECKONS
It’s the Strictly Come Dancing milestone every celebrity contestant longs to be a part of.
This weekend, the show’s twinkle-toed couples are hotfooting it to the Blackpool Tower Ballroom as the competition for the Glitterball trophy heats up.
With the show past the halfway mark, there’s a new favourite to beat. After impressing the judges with her consistently polished footwork and high-energy performances, former Coronation Street actress Ellie Leach has stormed ahead with her professional partner Vito Coppola.
The duo have replaced early series favourites West End star Layton Williams and EastEnders’ Bobby Brazier as the bookies’ frontrunners to win.
Their sumptuous American Smooth in week seven was hailed as “finalist material” by head judge Shirley Ballas, while fellow panellist Motsi Mabuse praised the pair for “climbing and climbing” week on week.
Ellie and Vito’s chemistry on the dancefloor is undeniable – and it has been suggested that the duo’s partnership may have entered romantic territory, too.
Actress Amanda Abbington, who left the competition in October for personal reasons, sparked speculation when she referred to them as a “beautiful couple” on social media. Vito also added fuel to the relationship rumours by using an affectionate nickname to refer to Ellie, who broke up with her former partner earlier this year.
“Just finished another day of rehearsal!!! Well done to my baby @ellielouiseleach,” he wrote in an Instagram Story.
Whatever their off-screen status, the pair, who are remaining tight- lipped about the speculation, are proving a match made in heaven – and hello! has been tipping them for glory from day one.
GOING FOR THE GLITTERBALL
In an exclusive shoot and interview with us in September, Ellie, 22, shared her hopes of making it all the way.
“The fact that Vito got to the final with Fleur [East, in 2022] is so amazing,” she said. “I do feel a little bit of pressure about that, but I’m just going to make sure that we can have fun together and hopefully we can go that far, too.”
