BBC Strictly's Ellie and Vito's blossoming romance - from strong feelings to first photoshoot together

Strictly Come Dancing faves Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola shared a sweet moment taken before their big win, where they were cuddled up and chatting to the camera.The duo were filmed getting cosy behind-the-scenes, making fans wonder even more about their relationship status, with one commenting "just get married". In the sweet clip, a rather teary-eyed Ellie is seen hugging Vito as she said: "This is our last time in the training room on Strictly Come Dancing 2023.

Strictly's Nikita Kuzmin had a blast celebrating his birthday with his girlfriend, Lauren Jaine, and other loved ones. The Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer partied in Italy, catching up with his sister Anastasia Kuzmina, who is also a professional dancer, and fellow Strictly star Vito Coppola. Nikita, originally from Ukraine, shared a bunch of photos on Instagram from his birthday bash, including snaps with his proud mum, Natalia.

Strictly Come Dancing winner Ellie Leach got rather emotion as she paid tribute to her dance partner Vito Coppola one week on from them winning the Glitterball.

Strictly Come Dancing star Vito Coppola has admitted to 'crying' as he responded to a heartfelt tribute penned to him from Ellie Leach. The pair are still riding the emotional wave as their journey on the BBC One dance contest came to a spectacular end.

Strictly Come Dancing winner Ellie Leach has declared her love for her co-star as she spoke to her fans and followers for the first time since winning the show. The Bury-born actress lifted the Glitterball trophy on Saturday night (December 16) alongside professional dance partner Vito Coppola.

Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola have issued a joint statement reflecting on their Strictly Come Dancing win just hours after they hit back at claims they are in a relationship. Posting on Vito's Instagram page, the duo wrote: "THANK YOU. We want to start by thanking all of you for the support, for the love and for leading us to lift the trophy of the most prestigious program in the world! Our gratitude is infinite and never enough.

Strictly Come Dancing fans have spotted the 'pure love' Vito Coppola has with one of his co-stars - and it's not Ellie Leach. The pair emerged victorious on Saturday night (December 16) in the final of the BBC One dance contest.

The 'real winner' of Strictly Come Dancing 2023 has been unveiled and it's not Ellie Leach, despite the ex-Coronation Street star being the one to life the Glitterball trophy. Ellie, 22, won the BBC One show alongside Strictly pro Vito Coppola, 31, with the actress beating Bad Education star Layton Williams, 29, and EastEnders favourite Bobby Brazier, 20, in the final.

Body language expert Darren Stanton has discussed Strictly Come Dancing stars Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola's reaction to their win. Speaking on behalf of Betfair Roulette, Darren said that the dance partners were 'overcome with emotion' after lifting the Glitterball and that their 'chemistry was at an all-time high' during the final. Darren said: "Ellie and Vito appeared absolutely gobsmacked over winning.The pair showed absolute elation and were totally in shock.The special thing about Ellie and Vito is that they are completely humble.

Numerous Coronation Street stars have taken to social media to congratulate Ellie Leach on her Strictly Come Dancing win, after she and Vito Coppola lifted the Glitterball trophy. Ellie, 22, and Vito, 31, were crowned the champions of the 2023 series on Saturday, 16 December, after facing Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin, as well as Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell in the grand final.

Strictly Come Dancing fans have said it's 'not needed' as they made a complaint just seconds into the 2023 final. It was just Ellie Leach, Layton Williams and Bobby Brazier left in the competition as it reached its climax on Saturday night (December 16).

Ellie Leach was at a school friend's birthday sleepover when she discovered she had secured the part of Faye Windass on Coronation Street. Now 22, the Strictly Come Dancing finalist, from Audenshaw, has already experienced a career that most people could only dream about.

One of the biggest nights in the TV calendar is here - the Strictly Come Dancing 2023 final. It's set to be a dazzling night in the ballroom as, after 13 weeks, this year's winner will be announced.

Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola appeared to be closer than ever on Wednesday as the Strictly Come Dancing finalists posed with the iconic Glitterball trophy ahead of this weekend's finale where they will battle it out for the 2023 winning title.

Amanda Abbington has decided to give the Strictly Come Dancing final a miss, following her early exit from the competition and an alleged 'feud' with Giovanni Pernice. This means that professional dancer Giovanni Pernice will have to take to the dance floor alone, while the other stars make their return.

Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola have thanked fans for their support as they continue preparing for the upcoming Strictly Come Dancing final.The duo, who have been wowing audiences with their sizzling performances, are the current favourites to take home this year's Glitterball trophy. Vito, 31, shared his heartfelt thanks to his 261,000 Instagram followers, saying: "We don't have words to describe our happiness and the words "thank you" are not enough to describe our gratitude to all of you beautiful people.

Vito Coppola has branded his Strictly Come Dancing partner Ellie Leach a 'warrior' as she opened up about how the show has 'changed' her. The pair have been going from strength to strength in the ballroom while also being subject to romance rumours out of it.

Viewers said they had 'no idea' after missing what Ellie Leach was doing during her first performance on Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday night (December 9). It was crunch time for the former Coronation Street star and her professional dance partner Vito Coppola as they are favourites to make it through to next weekend's final.

Strictly Come Dancing pro Vito Coppola has confessed to being "jealous" after partner Ellie Leach danced with another person on last week's episode. The talented duo sailed into the semi-finals after scoring 36 with their quickstep on Saturday (2 December) night, which was performed to Beauty and the Beast's Belle in honour of Musicals Week.The show was also the first time that Ellie, who is best known for playing Faye Windass on Coronation Street, danced with another partner on the ITV reality series.

Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola's bickering on Strictly: It Takes Two left host Janette Manrara fearing she'd "started a domestic" in a new episode of the spin-off show. Soap star Ellie, 22, and Strictly Come Dancing pro Vito, 31, appeared on It Takes Two on Thursday, 7 December, where they spoke to Janette, 40, about making it to the semi-final and their upcoming performances.