Strictly’s Ellie Leach overcame her boyfriend’s betrayal and Coronation Street tried to win the hearts of BBC viewers and her dance partner Vito Coppola – now she’s looking forward to pastures new

Dressed in a beautiful feather dress, she looked like a sophisticated ballroom diva.

Watching Ellie Leach’s sizzling American Smooth performance last week, it was all too easy to see why her strictly professional dance partner, Vito Coppola, seemed to have fallen hard for the beautiful 22-year-old.

Strictly sexy and with the lightest of feet, Ellie had the Italian dancer – not to mention the judges, who gave the pair a near-perfect 39 out of 40 – eating out of her hand.

Unsurprisingly, Vito chose to post a sultry black-and-white photo of himself to Instagram this week, affectionately describing the former soap actress as his “baby,” seemingly out and about with the couple.

Their sweet on-screen chemistry has been hinting at their budding romance for some time now. And now that the show has reached its halfway point, the couple have become the new favorites to lift the glitterball trophy. It seems like everyone is falling in love with Ellie.

But few fans will know that behind her assured Strictly appearances lies a double heartbreak. Just a few months ago, the vivacious brunette was at her lowest point and had written off 2023 as her ‘annus horribilis’.

Friends say she was ‘devastated’ in April after being sacked by her Coronation Street bosses. Ellie was devastated when she lost the role of gym slip mother, Faye Windass – a role she had played for 12 years, after being cast when she was just nine years old. Sources say it was completely ‘unexpected’.

A month later came another blow: Ellie was left distraught after discovering that her boyfriend of five years, model Reagan Pettman, had cheated on her. Their relationship promptly ended.

A friend said: ‘It broke Ellie. It was a terrible time for her. She saw no way out. She had lost everything she loved.”

The call from Strictly bosses in the spring gave her a new focus. She immediately seized the opportunity and made a conscious decision to “throw herself into it,” vowing to “have the time of her life.”

A friend says: ‘As soon as she got the call, she knew she had to do it. Her whole life had changed in a few weeks, she had lost both loves of her life. Then the opportunity arose to dance her way out of the sadness. The thought of glamorous dresses and learning a new skill made her excited.”

Her composure in the Strictly studio is extraordinary considering she has no dance background at all.

But determined to make the most of her experience, friends say she wants to win ‘quietly’.

So far the rankings have been on her side; the week before she took 38 points, and the week before that 37 for a particularly steamy Paso Doble.

Speaking about signing on to Strictly, Ellie herself spoke candidly, saying: ‘Being cheated on was upsetting, but now is the perfect time to put everything into Strictly and give it 500 percent.’

A lost job and a cheating boyfriend are difficult for anyone to overcome, but friends say Ellie is exceptionally gentle.

She still lived at home with her parents and sister Daisy in Bury, Greater Manchester, and grew up in a loving working-class family. She attended Fairfield High School for Girls, an excellent school known for its traditional ethos, and grew up to put family first.

Although she has admitted that she sometimes struggled with the attention she received for her soap career, she credits her family with helping her keep her feet on the ground. In that sense, unlike other aspiring stars who use their social media accounts for wall-to-wall brand partnerships, Ellie prefers to post homely photos and videos of herself with her family.

In a beautiful video she can be seen at a Coldplay concert with her father, who has his arm around her. Ellie captioned it: “Hearing this live with my family was a dream come true.”

In another photo we see Ellie and Daisy, relaxing on the couch on Christmas Day, with their mother Karen in between. The laughing trio are all wearing strawberry print pajamas.

Ellie says: “I think growing up in Corrie and the profession I work in, working with adults from a young age, kept my head on the ground. My father and mother kept me grounded. I wouldn’t be any different. I have always had that guidance.’

Described as ‘the least starry’ star you could ever meet, Ellie has no theater training. Her big break came when she won her role in Coronation Street with a little help from cousin Brooke Vincent, who plays Sophie Webster in the soap. They are very close, and Ellie is godmother to one of Brooke’s children.

Despite her lack of formal acting experience, young Ellie captivated the soap’s casting bosses when she auditioned for the role of Faye, a young girl who would be raised by the Windass family.

However, Ellie’s natural spunk had to be kept tightly hidden in the role: her character of Faye became known as one of the most miserable on the soap. Pregnant at age 12 – the youngest character ever to have a baby – she later gave up her child, was sexually abused and then imprisoned.

But despite the grimness of her storylines, Ellie loved her role, and once said she hoped to stay on Coronation Street “forever”, adding: “It’s a great job and I love being there .’

Luckily, Strictly stepped into the void left by Coronation Street. And as one of the competition’s lesser-known celebrities, Ellie and Vito spent the opening weeks firmly in the background while bigger stars dominated the headlines. But quietly, away from the eyes of viewers, a bond began to grow between the pair.

At this time, neither Ellie nor Vito, 31, have officially commented on a budding romance. However, it should be pointed out that dating his co-star is a path that the Italian Latin champion has been down before.

In 2021, Vito won the Italian version of Strictly with pop star Arisa. They bonded on the show and started dating after collecting the glitterball trophy. Although their romance ended shortly before he moved to Britain, Vito says they have remained friends.

Ellie’s fans are hoping their romance is destined for a happier future. The prospects look good. Vito has been making no secret of his affection for Ellie for weeks, expressing his adoration for her on social media, along with his adorable nickname for her, Lulu.

He wrote on Instagram: ‘My Lulu. . . I am so proud of you . . . How much I believe in you, so just keep going and keep working hard like you already do every day. You’re doing great honey. See you tomorrow for another beautiful day together.’

Ellie replied, “This man amazes me EVERY DAY. You are a special person, thank you to YOU! Love you love you love you.”

At public events they are firmly connected. After a charity event at Mayfair’s Grosvenor Hotel a few weeks ago, they were described as ‘tangible’ and were later seen in the same taxi. As they left, Vito gave another hint of their romance as he made a heart shape with his hands as Ellie giggled.

And just a few days ago, Amanda Abbington, the Sherlock actress who left the show last month due to medical conditions, seemed to confirm they were an item, posting that they were ‘the most beautiful couple’, followed by some love hearts .

With Ellie becoming one of Strictly’s most loved stars, ITV bosses – and even her ex-boyfriend – are likely to watch and wonder if they made the wrong move. But will she look back?

“Absolutely not,” says a friend. “For Ellie, she’s focusing on what’s the most brilliant thing that’s ever happened to her.”

Tonight she will dance a Rumba to True Colors by Cyndi Lauper in an attempt to finish the evening at the top of the leaderboard again.

With her, every step will be memories of bad times past, and what seems like a very rejuvenating new romance…