Are Strictly’s Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola getting ‘closer’ after he refers to her as ‘my baby?’

Former Coronation Street star Ellie Leach split from her boyfriend of five years in May and appears to be growing ‘closer’ to her Strictly Come Dancing partner Vito Coppola. Strictly’s Vito shared a black and white photograph of himself on his Instagram stories where he said: “Just finished another day of rehearsal!!! Well done to my baby @ellielouiseleach. Only recently Amanda Abbington who quit the show referred to them as a ‘beautiful couple’ on social media. 

Ellie Leach had been in a five year relationship with Reagan Pettman until May of this year but they called it quits after Reagan cheated on her. Ellie has said previously that “Being cheated on was upsetting, but now’s the perfect time to put my all into Strictly and give that 500 per cent.” She went on to say that “Vito has taught me so much already. He tells me, ‘It’s a competition with yourself. If you’re tired, fight it. If you’re stressed, fight it.’ I also don’t praise myself enough.”

Vito is believed to be currently single but had been in a  long-term relationship with Italian model Valentina Sica until 2021 when he reportedly had a fling with singer Arisa who he partnered with on the Italian version of Strictly in the same year. When Vito and Ellie performed in last week’s show, the couple scored 39 points for their American Smooth performance to Robbie Williams’s ‘Ain’t That Kick In the Head.’

If Vito and Ellie are becoming ‘closer,’ it is bound to delight their many fans who seem to be loving their partnership. One fan said on Ellie's Instagram after her last performance that “”Absolutely LOVE watching you dance and the special connection between you,” followed by heart and fire emojis whilst another said: “Stunning-perfect dance, perfect music, perfect partnership & perfect costumes. Well done!”