Strictly's Ellie and Vito fuel dating rumours with matching tattoos
They've landed a job on This Morning!
Former Coronation Street actress Ellie Leach and her professional partner Vito Coppola won the 2023 series of Strictly Come Dancing, with their amazing performances on the dancefloor leaving the judges and viewers at home in a tizzy.
But alongside their emphatic performances, rumours have been rife that the pair are dating, and although the pair haven't quite confirmed anything, they have now fuelled things even further after an appearance on This Morning on Wednesday 10th January.
Appearing on the sofa together to reveal they are going to be joining the This Morning team to teach three couples how to dance, the pair also confessed to hosts Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle that they've got matching tattoos!
Are Ellie and Vito dating?
When Craig cheekily said: “People are still speculating about the romance aren’t they?”
Hugging Ellie, Vito said, “We have a great great relationship and we are going to have… it was a promise.”
Ellie added: “Yes, we made a promise weeks ago - we had a little joke - ‘if we make it to the final, why don’t we get a tattoo? - but we didn’t expect to get there. And that will be the symbol of our bond and our friendship that we’ve made over Strictly.”
Speaking ahead of the Strictly final on 16th December, 22-year-old Ellie told Mail Online: "There is always speculation about the couples on Strictly. But honestly we are just so busy dancing."
Ellie also spoke about how Vito has helped her grow during her Strictly journey, saying: "Vito is wild - I'd never done anything like this before, but he's such a great teacher and great human that he gives me the confidence.
"Vito has encouraged me to come out of my comfort zone."
Ellie's Strictly co-star Amanda Abbington set tongues wagging that the pair were in a relationship a number of weeks ago, making a comment on an upload to Instagram.
Amanda, who made the decision to withdraw from the series, commented: 'Stunning. So proud of the both of you. You are the most beautiful couple! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️'. (sic)
Fans were also quick to speculate if the pair were more than just dance partners. One wrote: 'Are you 2 together?', with another commenting: 'You two are beautiful together! Totally here for this relationship'. (sic)
Another gasped: 'This is the partnership of the series and I am loving it. You and Vito light up my Saturday nights!' (sic)
What did Ellie and Vito say after winning Strictly?
After winning the show ahead of Layton Williams and Bobby Brazier, Ellie paid tribute to Vito during her winner's speech.
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. We couldn’t have won without the voting public, so a huge thank you to everyone at home who picked up the phone for us, we appreciate every single one of you!
“Finally, a big congratulations to all the finalists and all the 2023 cast, who are incredible and came alongside this journey with me.”
Vito also gushed about his partner, saying: “This is unbelievable, thank you so much to everyone who voted for us, we love you and it means the world to us!
“Ellie, my Lulu, I am so, so proud of you.
“I have seen how hard you have worked, the dedication and determination you have shown, and how much you have grown as a person these past three months.We’ve had the best time dancing together and I’ve enjoyed every second of it!
“Thank you for being the best dance partner and thank you to everyone who has supported us each week and voted for us!"
During an appearance on This Morning on Monday 18th December, hosts Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle were joined by Ellie and Vito for their first TV interview since winning the show.
Josie asked Ellie and Vito if there was any truth in the romance rumours between them, to which Ellie said: “Honestly we’ve just been having the most amazing time dancing. We’ve built a really strong bond and a friendship that will last forever.”
Vito turned to Ellie and said: “I wanted to say the word bond. We had a good bond. You see a person and connect with the person straight away.”
He added, “I’m a first impression person and when we met, straight away we had this feeling that we’ve known each other a long time.”
Turning back to Ellie, he gushed: “I’m so, so lucky to have you.”
Craig commented that there was “100 per cent” a romance between them and they both laughed and said: “No, no!”
Check out which stars found love on the Strictly dancefloor:
Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole
On the first ever series of Strictly back in 2001, news reader Natasha Kaplinsky and professional dancer Brendan Cole were paired together.
Despite both being in other relationships at the time, both Natasha and Brendan called off their romances and started dating after the series finished.
Their relationship didn't last long though, and they are now both happily married to other people.
Ali Bastian and Brian Fortuna
It was love at first sight for former Hollyoaks actress Ali Bastian and her Strictly partner Brian Fortuna in 2009.
With the pair both single at the time, Ali and Brian started a relationship, only for it to end the following year.
Joe Calzaghe and Kristina Rihanoff
When boxer Joe Calzaghe appeared on the show in 2009, he announced to the press that his relationship with his partner Jo-Emma Larvin had come to an end, just one week into his Strictly journey.
Joe's professional dance partner Kristina Rihanoff was more than a shoulder to cry on, with the pair starting a romance. They went on to date for four years after show, before announcing their split.
Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff
After her relationship with Joe Calzaghe fell apart, Kristina later met another Strictly contestant, England rugby ace Ben Cohen.
Both Ben and Kristina have denied rumours that Ben was still with his ex-wife Abby Blayney at the time they started dating, with the pair claiming they didn't get together until a year later.
Things are going well however, the pair now share a daughter together called Milena and are in a happy relationship.
Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev
After her split from Joe Swash, actress Kara Tointon appeared on the 2010 series of Strictly and mended her broken heart with a little help from professional dancer Artem Chigvintsev.
Despite this, things didn't work out for the couple.
Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev
When Countdown presenter Rachel Riley appeared on Strictly in 2013 she was married to her ex-husband Jamie Gilbert. However, after just 16 months of marriage, the pair announced they were set for divorce in November 2013.
Fast-forward to 2016 and Rachel revealed she was in a relationship with her 2013 Strictly partner Pasha Kovalev... And the pair welcomed a baby in 2019, with another arriving in 2021.
Georgia May Foote and Giovanni Pernice
Georgia May Foote was dating her Coronation Street co-star Sean Ward when she joined the show in 2015. But when rumours circulated that the couple's relationship wasn't going well, they split in December 2015.
Georgia was then spotted getting very cosy with her Strictly partner Giovanni, with the pair enjoying a holiday to Disneyland Paris for New Year.
Despite this, the couple ended their relationship in August 2016.
Dianne Buswell and Joe Sugg
After weeks of rumours, Joe Sugg appeared to confirm his relationship with Strictly Come Dancing partner Dianne Buswell with a photo on Instagram, the caption read, 'I may not have won the glitter ball, but I've won something a million times more special.'
The pair have been loved-up ever since!
Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Marquez
Radio presenter Gemma Atkinson and professional dancer Gorka Marquez were first linked in the 2017 series, and got together whilst on the 2018 annual tour together. They moved in together in December 2018 and welcomed their daughter Mia in summer 2019. The couple then announced their engagement at the start of 2021.
In 2023, Gemma and Gorka then welcomed their second child, a baby boy called Thiago!
Giovanni Pernice and Ashley Roberts
Professional dancer Giovanni Pernice and Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts were forced to deny they were dating during the 2018 series, but Giovanni confirmed the relationship in January 2019.
However, just one year later in January 2020, Giovanni confirmed the pair had split.
Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton
Despite taking a long time to confirm their romance, Stacey and Kevin now seem very happy together, with Kevin announcing back in March 2021 that he'd quit the show.
Despite the couple keeping their relationship more or less private, the couple did confirm in August 2022 that they are expecting their first child together, with Stacey giving birth to baby Minnie in January 2023.
Max George and Maisie Smith
Despite both taking part in the 2020 series of Strictly, The Wanted singer Max George and former EastEnders actress Maisie Smith didn't actually start dating until mid-2022.
After weeks of rumours about a romance, the pair went Instagram official in September 2022, sharing gushy posts about each other. They've since been smitten.
Tyler West and Molly Rainford
Strictly 2022 contestants Tyler West and Molly Rainford confirmed they were dating in March 2023, after growing close during the live tour. The pair confirmed they were dating during a TikTok video, leaving fans buzzing.
Rumours that the pair were dating first started towards the beginning of the series, with a source telling the Daily Star that sparks had flown between the pair behind the scenes, and their relationship was 'bigger than what the camera captures'.
The pair are now set to go on the Strictly Come Dancing tour together, with Ellie saying: “The tour coming up is the next exciting thing… I started Strictly as a girl and left as a woman, I’ve grown in confidence so much.”
At the time of publication, Ellie and Vito are yet to confirm the rumours.
Now read:
Strictly Come Dancing stars who found LOVE on the dancefloor
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