Strictly Come Dancing’s Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola shared an emotional moment during the final on Saturday after she suffered a blunder during their second routine on the show.
Former Coronation Street actress Ellie, 22, and professional dancer Vito, 31, competed in the final against actor Layton Williams, 29, and his partner Nikita Kuzmin, 25, and EastEnders star Bobby Brazier, 20, and his partner Dianne Buswell, 34.
Ellie and Vito attempted to execute a number of lifts as they performed their show dance to a Jennifer Lopez megamix.
But as she tried to leap onto the Italian’s shoulders Ellie slipped, leaving him to save her before she hit the floor.
Ex soap star Ellie looked upset at the mistake, with Vito putting his arms around her and repeatedly kissing her on the cheek in a bid to comfort her.
Strictly Come Dancing ‘s Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola shared an emotional moment during the final on Saturday after she suffered a blunder during their second routine on the show
Ellie and Vito attempted to execute a number of lifts as they performed their show dance to a Jennifer Lopez megamix
As Ellie tried to leap onto the Italian’s shoulders she slipped, leaving him to save her before she hit the floor
Ellie and Vito have been at the centre of romance rumours throughout this year’s series after their on-screen chemistry caught the eyes of fans of the show.
Earlier this month, it was claimed Ellie and Vito been seeing each other for over a month.
The pair have been under the spotlight after being accused of faking their romance in order to help win votes, but a source close to Ellie revealed they have been together for a few weeks.
Things between the screen actress and the dancer are ‘genuine’ – a source told the Mirror.
Vito reportedly has visited Ellie’s home several times outside of training while she has confided in friends about her new relationship with him.
‘Initially, they were friendly but as the weeks went on, their relationship changed. Ellie has made it clear to friends how happy she is with Vito,’ said the friend.
‘She’s not the kind of person to fake something like that for votes. Putting on a showmance isn’t her style – what you see with her is what you get. When Ellie started Strictly, she was self-conscious and unsure. Now she’s radiating confidence, which is lovely.’
A second source detailed how the duo’s increasing closeness has become obvious not only backstage but also while promoting the show together.
Earlier this month, it was claimed Ellie and Vito been seeing each other for over a month (pictured on Strictly this month)
They said: ‘Ellie and Vito have become so close that they’re often seen all over each other, and the chemistry is striking. The rumour they’re more than friends isn’t openly discussed, but it’s widely understood.’
This year’s final will see Bobby Brazier, Ellie Leach and Layton Williams battle it out for the coveted glitterball.
Each celebrity and their professional dance partners will have to dance three times; their favourite dance from the series, a show dance and judges’ pick.
EastEnders actor Bobby, 20, and Dianne Buswell, 34, are set to dance their Couple’s Choice to This Woman’s Work by Maxwell.
The lyrical dance is a tribute to Bobby’s mother who died in 2007 aged 27 after a short battle with cervical cancer.
Their show dance will be to La La La Land Medley while the judges have asked them to perform their Samba to Young Hearts Run Free by Candi Staton.
As for Ellie, 22, and Vito, 31, they will do their show dance to Jennifer Lopez Megamix, judges’ pick Paso Doble to Insomnia by 2WEI, and their favourite routine which is the American Smooth to Ain’t That A Kick In The Head by Robbie Williams.
Layton, 29, and Nikita, 25, will showdance to Friend Like Me by Ne-Yo, do the judges’ pick which is their Quickstep to Puttin’ On The Ritz by Gregory Porter and perform their favourite dance, the Tango to Tattoo by Loreen.
Strictly Come Dancing 2023 kicked off in September, hosted once again by Tess Daly (right) and Claudia Winkleman (left) (pictured during the final on Saturday)
Strictly Come Dancing 2023 kicked off in September, hosted once again by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman with the return of judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and Shirley Ballas.
The 15 celebrities taking to the dance floor this year were revealed to be Bobby Brazier, Annabel Croft, Les Dennis, Angela Rippon, Nigel Harman, Zara McDermott, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Amanda Abbington, Ellie Leach, Angela Scanlon, Nikita Kanda, Adam Thomas, Eddie Kadi, Jody Cundy and Layton Williams.
Professional dancers Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Vito Coppola, Graziano Di Prima, Amy Dowden, Carlos Gu, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Gorka Márquez, Luba Mushtuk, Lauren Oakley, Giovanni Pernice, Jowita Przystał, Johannes Radebe, Michelle Tsiakkas, Kai Widdrington, and Nancy Xu also returned.
Star Amy Dowden sadly was unable to take part, after being diagnosed with breast cancer earlier in the year, but was able to make several cameos during the series.
Week One saw the couples perform for the first time and saw Nigel topping the leaderboard while Angela received a standing ovation for her Cha-cha-cha.
The first celebrity to be sent home was sadly Les, after he and his partner Nancy ended up at the bottom of the leaderboard with just 15 points.
Week 3 was Movie Week, and saw the couples doing routines inspired by classic films.
Sadly Nikita and Gorka were sent packing by the judges after ending up in the dance-off with Zara and Graziano.
Judges (L-R) Anton Du Beke, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Craig Revel Horwood returned for this year’s series
The next week was the end of the road for Jody and Jowita after a disappointing Salsa, with all the judges opting to save Eddie and Karen.
But the writing was on the wall for Eddie, as he was then sent home the following week.
That same week, Amanda announced she and partner Giovanni could not perform on the live show due to medical reasons, and went straight through to the next week.
But she then dramatically quit the show, initially citing medical reasons before later revealing personal issues on Instagram.
However, it is thought that the reason for her departure was heated rows between her and Giovanni.
Amanda further sparked speculation of a rift with her dance partner when she failed to mention him in the Instagram post announcing her exit.
Week 6 was Halloween week, and the celebrities each took on a scary character with Zara and Graziano’s journey coming to an end.
Adam and Luba survived the dance off against Zara, but didn’t fare as well against Angela and Kai and went home in Week 7.
Former Coronation Street actress Ellie Leach and professional dancer Vito Coppola made it to this year’s final
Week 8 saw Angela and Kai back in the bottom two, but the judges chose to save them, eliminating Krishnan and Lauren.
The next show was staged in the Tower Ballroom at the Blackpool Tower, thrilling the couples that made it that far.
Ultimately Angela and Kai got the chop after surviving several dance-offs, with the judges choosing Bobby and Dianne.
In week 10, Layton and Nikita were in the bottom two for the first time, after online trolls said he is too experienced at dancing to be on the show.
However, three of the judges chose to save Layton and therefore sent home Angela and Carlos.
The following show marked Musicals Week and the quarter-finals, with the couples doing routines from top musicals.
However, only hours before the live show began, Nigel was forced to withdraw from the competition after suffering an injury.
The couple both appeared on the show where Nigel told how he hurt his rib during a jump in rehearsals.
He said: ‘I was about to be caught by some very handsome men but when I landed, I’ve done something to my rib. I’m a little high on painkillers.’
Asked by host Claudia if he had enjoyed his time on the show, Nigel said: ‘Oh I’ve loved it, I’ve loved it. This hasn’t really sunk in.
‘When I was watching everyone coming down the stairs, it was real that I’m not part of it anymore.’
EastEnders actor Bobby Brazier and his professional dancer Dianne Buswell have proven to be a favourite with fans
Katya was full of praise for Nigel’s hard work on the show and looked emotional at the thought of them no longer getting to perform together.
As a result, there was no elimination for Week 11 and all scores carried over to the following week, with Layton and Nikita scoring the first perfect 40 of the series.
In the semi-final, the last four couples had to perform two dances each, with Bobby and Dianne and Annabel and Johannes ending up in the bottom two.
After the dreaded dance-off, Annabel was sadly sent packing, meaning Bobby, Ellie and Layton became this year’s finalists.
STRICTLY COME DANCING 2023: THE CONTESTANTS’ PROFILES
Layton Williams
Age: 28
Profession: Actor
Layton says: ‘Absolutely buzzing to confirm that I will be taking part in THE most iconic dance competition in the UK! It’s time to bring it to the Ballroom. So excited to learn new skills from the best. Bring on the sequins… ALL the sequins!’
Ellie Leach
Age: 22
Profession: Coronation Street star
Ellie says: ‘It still doesn’t feel real that I’m going to be doing Strictly!! It’s always been a dream of mine so I guess dreams really do come true!!!!’
Bobby Brazier
Age: 20
Profession: EastEnders star and model
Bobby says: ‘I’m so excited to be part of the Strictly line up, I can’t wait to start training like a professional dancer and adding a few moves to my locker. I’m looking forward to performing in-front of everyone.’
