Ellie Leach has shared her 'hope' for Vito Coppola weeks after their Strictly Come Dancing journey came to an end. They quickly became favourites among viewers of the BBC One dance contest last year when they were paired for the 2023 series.
The partnership went froms strength to stregth over three months before they emerged victiourous and lifted the coveted Glitterball trophy during the Strictly 2023 final in December - making Ellie the competition's youngest-ever winner at 22. After going their seperate ways for Christmas and New Year, Ellie and Vito were recently reunited.
They took part in the 2024 Strictly Come Dancing Live tour which saw stars from the recent hit dance series hitting the road for three weeks as they performed 31 shows across nine cities in three weeks.
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But now, Ellie is on a new venture. The forer Coronation Street star was fresh from the show's epic live tour when she headed straight into rehearsals for her stage debut which took place last week. The actress, who shot to fame playing Faye Windass in the ITV soap, is now appearing in Cluedo 2 - The Next Chapter.
She was drafted in at the eleventh hour to play Miss Scarlett in place of Helen Flanagan after she was 'advised to withdraw due to medical reasons'. The five-month UK tour marks the world premiere of Cluedo 2 - The Next Chapter and it all kicked off at the Richmond Theatre last Thursday night (February 29). The play will then continue to visit theatres across the UK until July - also including a week-long run on home turf for Ellie at The Lowry Theatre in Salford.
In between shows, Ellie popped in to BBC Radio 2 to chat to Gabby Roslin about her new role and, of course, Strictly. Quizzed on whether Vito, 31, could be coming along to support her, Ellie admitted she's unsure whether he'll understand the murder mystery show.
She shared: "He hasn't seen Cluedo yet, I really hope he's able to make it. I think he's really hoping to come. Although I don't know if he'll understand it, I don't know if he'll get what's going on, you know what he's like. Hopefully he'll try and get to see it at some point."
Ellie went on to discuss her Strictly experience, saying Vito, who she now shares a matching tattoo with, was "the best partner" she could've asked for, but revealed she underestimated just how hard the competition was. "I had the absolute best time ever, I don't think anyone can actually prepare you for what it's going to be like," she shared. "I didn't realise how much fun I would have and how hard it would be."
It comes after Ellie was reported to have 'confirmed' her new romance after stepping out with Strictly co-star Bobby Brazier. They were all smiles as they posed for snaps on the red carpet as they attended the Hadestown press nigt last month. Opting for a matching colour scheme, the dancing stars both donned dark-coloured outfits. Posing alongside Ellie, 22, Bobby opted for a long black coat and navy blue trousers. Meanwhile, Ellie sported a leather jacket, which she paired with a dark shirt and trousers while sporting her gorgeous new fringe
During her time on Strictly, Ellie found herself being romantically linked with her Italian dance partner before afterwards, during the show's live tour, she found herself subject to romance rumours with EastEnders star Bobby. The pair have more recently been snapped again hanging out in London after Ellie left Manchester for work.
