Strictly’s Ellie Leach smiles as she steps out with her dance partner Vito Coppola amid romance rumors

Ellie Leach appeared to be in a jovial mood as she stepped out to Manchester for rehearsals with Vito Coppola on Wednesday.

The Coronation Street actress, 22, is teaming up with the Italian dancer, 31, in the 2023 series of Strictly Come Dancing and has been hit by romance rumours.

And Ellie was all smiles as she stepped out for her final training session with Vito and happily chatted with him during the outing.

She cut a casual figure in a gray sweater and black leggings, which she paired with brown slip-ons and a black leather jacket.

Ellie, who plays Faye Windass in Coronation Street, kept her essentials in a large olive handbag and also carried a large shopping bag.

Romance? The Coronation Street actress, 22, is teaming up with the Italian dancer, 31, in the 2023 series of Strictly Come Dancing and has been hit by romance rumors

She smiled and laughed with Vito, who cut a relaxed figure in jeans and an olive green jacket with leather-look sleeves.

He stayed comfortable in black boots and carried his belongings in a large brown overnight bag as he prepared for another busy day of rehearsals.

Their latest outing comes after Ellie spoke about her close friendship with Vito, as romance rumors continue to swirl.

Speculation began due to their on-screen chemistry, with Vito calling Ellie sweet nicknames as they trained together, such as “my baby,” “my Lulu,” and a “diamond.”

Ellie also added “love you” to messages to Vito on social media, while former co-star Amanda Abbington called them a “beautiful couple” on Instagram.

And Ellie revealed she’s having the ‘best time’ with Vito as she spoke about their close bond.

She said Closer: ‘I’m having a great time with Vito. Not only does he teach me about dance, but he also teaches me a lot about myself. He is very patient and he knows that if he pushes me, I can do things.

‘Sometimes I don’t believe in myself and he believes in me. I’ve always had a little trouble with self-confidence, but he says, “You can do this!” I didn’t know I had that SS. That’s the side I didn’t know I had.’

Ellie also recently addressed the romance rumors swirling around her and Vito and tried to downplay their closeness.

Grinning: And Ellie was all smiles as she stepped out for her final training session with Vito and happily chatted with him during the outing

Close: Speculation started due to on-screen chemistry, with Vito calling Ellie sweet nicknames as they trained together, such as ‘my baby’, ‘my Lulu’ and a ‘diamond’

Kiss: Ellie also recently addressed the romance rumors swirling around her and Vito and tried to downplay their closeness as she addressed him and kissed her on the cheek

The actress told OK! Magazine that her kisses with the professional dancer are merely a sign of ‘deep friendship’.

She said: ‘It was just a kiss on the cheek. He gives me a kiss on the cheek every Saturday.’

She denied it could have been more, adding: “It was definitely on the cheek.”

Ellie is single after splitting from her boyfriend of five years Reagan Pettman in May and said she was doing Strictly after ‘being cheated on’.

Vito is also single after splitting from his ex-girlfriend Arisa last year. The dancer won the Italian version of Strictly in 2021.