Now, we don’t like to play favourites here at heat, but there can be no denying that Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola have cha-cha-charmed their way into our (and the rest of the UK’s) hearts, topping the Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard most weeks and delighting viewers with their absolutely sizzling chemistry.
Following rumours of a blossoming romance backstage, insiders are suggesting that Ellie, 22, and Vito, 31, are looking forward to taking their relationship into the real world now Strictly has come to an end.
“Before the show started, Ellie swore that she wouldn’t be that person who fell for their partner and just wanted to learn how to dance, but she’s grown closer to Vito than she ever imagined, and she cannot imagine her life without seeing him every day,” an insider tells heat.
“They’ve forged such an intimate relationship that neither Ellie nor Vito want to be without each other. He has been so patient with her, and all of Ellie’s family love him to bits, too – he’s become an honorary member. Vito feels the same about Ellie – he can’t stop talking about her or smiling whenever he’s with her.”
And now Strictly is over, we’re told the pair want to see what the future may hold for them. “They won’t be spending every minute of every day together any more, so they need to adjust to that,” says our insider.
“They have vowed to make time for each other as they cope with all the new-found attention on them and being more in demand. The Strictly bubble is great while you’re in it, but once it goes, real life and relationships can seem a lot harder.”
Luckily, the former Coronation Street actress is set to take part in the Strictly tour in January – and has been paired with Vito again, giving them plenty of time to figure how things will work for them in the real world.
“Ellie has told friends that she’s not putting pressure on anything and knows that Vito will be in her life forever, whether that is just a friendship or something more,” our source explains.
“All their friends and family can see how happy they make each other – they really do bring the best out in each other and everyone is rooting for them.”