Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola continue to fuel romance rumors as they cozy up during Strictly tour rehearsals

Strictly winners Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola continued to spark romance rumors as they cozied up together during rehearsals for the tour on Friday.

There was a lot of speculation about the pair's relationship status during their time on the BBC show last year, and with the duo reuniting in preparation for the tour, it seems their chemistry is still going strong.

As well as practicing dance, the Italian professional, 31, also appeared to perfect his hairstyling skills as he played with Ellie's brunette locks.

As they socialized, Vito tied the former Coronation Street star's hair up in a bun for her before they started their routine.

Vito looked deeply concentrated as he struggled with the bulge, while Ellie, 22, looked at her partner.

There was a lot of speculation about the pair's relationship status during their time on the BBC show last year, and with the duo reuniting in preparation for the tour, it seems their chemistry is still going strong.

It comes after the pair returned to their north London hotel together on Wednesday evening.

Ellie wrapped herself against the cold in a long leather jacket and a multi-colored scarf. She paired the outfit with baggy jeans and Ugg shoes.

Meanwhile, Vito also opted for a patterned scarf and carried a brown shoulder bag.

The couple also announced this week that they are getting matching tattoos.

Appearing on This Morning on Wednesday to discuss their “amazing relationship”, weeks after the show ended, host Craig Doyle asked bluntly: “Are they a couple?”

Vito responded: 'We have a great relationship and we're going to get a tattoo just for fun. Before we reached the final, we promised ourselves we would get one from an Aubergine.”

Ellie added: “We said if we got to the final we would get a tattoo but it was just a joke, we didn't expect to get there!

Vito continues: 'In the end we decided to make a B with the body of an eggplant, because a B is a Brazilian insect. But that's a symbol of our bond.”

As well as practicing dance, the Italian professional, 31, also appeared to perfect his hairstyling skills as he played with Ellie's brunette locks.

Vito looked deeply concentrated as he struggled with the bulge, while Ellie, 22, looked at her partner

The pair could then be seen on hold as they practiced their routine

The pair looked very focused as they performed the steps

Both Ellie and Vito were overcome with emotion as they lifted the Glitterball Trophy together in December

Ellie and Vito's latest posts come after they broke their silence on romance rumors as they appeared on This Morning last year.

Host Josie Gibson asked them, “I have to ask because the chemistry between you is magical. We saw you on the dance floor and it was so beautiful to watch.

'Is there a romance between you two? Are the rumors true or not?'

Ellie then replied: “Honestly we just had a great time dancing and built a really strong bond and friendship that will last forever.”

Vito repeated: 'We have a very nice bond, a good bond. When you see a person and you immediately connect with a person.

'I got a very first impression and when we met we felt like we had known each other for so long. I'm so lucky to have you in my life.'

Josie's co-host Craig Doyle then continued to probe, adding: “There's 100 per cent romance, 100 per cent… I can see it.”

Ellie and Vito then quickly exclaimed, “No, no.”

Ellie continued: 'We've been through so much together, we've spent every day together for the past three months.

“So we're really lucky to have that bond that we have and we'll be friends for life.”

The couple also revealed this week that they are getting matching tattoos, but insisted there is no romance involved

The pair have been romantically linked since the beginning of the series, before being crowned champions during last month's glitzy finale