Inside Vito Coppola's life off-screen including Strictly Come Dancing 'romance'
Vito Coppola is one of the newest faces on Strictly Come Dancing and is already becoming a regular face on British TV. The Italian dancer first made a name for himself after he lifted the glitterball trophy on the Italian version of Strictly and won the BBC series with celebrity dance partner and Coronation Street star Ellie Leach.
Vito is currently impressing Gregg Wallace and John Torode in the Celebrity MasterChef kitchen and he has progressed to the quarter-finals despite a difficult time in a Thai restaurant with contestant OJ Borg. Vito Coppola will be returning to the ballroom yet again, with his celebrity partner set to be announced this weekend.
Away from the cameras, his love life has been the focus of gossip pages and social media chatter.
Vito had incredible chemistry with Ellie Leach – so much so rumours flying around that their dance partnership has blossomed into a romantic relationship. However, the duo have remained coy as to whether there is anything more going on.
Here is what we know about Vito Coppola, his dancing career, life outside of TV and his relationships.
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The Italian dancer was born on September 27, 1992 and has danced since the age of six. He won national championships by the time he was 10 and went on to become an 11-time Italian Latin American champion, three-time World Championship finalist and European Cup Winner.
Before joining Strictly Come Dancing in 2022, Vito was best known for his stint on the Italian version of the show, Stars Ballando con le Stelle. And his previous experience might just help him along this weekend - he was crowned champion, alongside his dance partner Arisa, in 2021.
Vito signed up for the BBC series and was thrilled to be a part of the show. He told the BBC: "I am really excited to become part of this family. I cannot wait to start this new adventure and to challenge myself. Strictly sto arrivando! (or: Strictly I am coming!)"
He reached the final that year with Fleur East, but lost to wildlife presenter & cameraman Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przystał. Vito went on further the following year and lifted the glitterball trophy with Corrie star Ellie Leach.
Relationship with Strictly Come Dancing co-starsStrictly Come Dancing 2023 champions Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola (Image: Getty) SUBSCRIBE Invalid emailWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
At the time of writing, it appears Vito is single.
Vito and his celebrity partner on Italy's Strictly, singer Arisa, were reported to have become a couple after the filming ended, but more recently they are said to have parted ways. Italian magazine Mio said they remain on good terms and have a "friendly bond" after their relationship hit a "rocky patch".
In the UK, Vito has been linked with Strictly stars Helen Skelton and Molly Rainford during his time on the show. Rumours have been swirling that he was dating Ellie - yet the pair have remained tight-lipped about any budding romance.
When the couple appeared on ITV’s Lorraine Kelly’s show, Kelly said: “Both of you are single, everyone wants a romance. Clearly, there is a really good bond there?”
Smiling, the dancer said: “Ellie and her family have become another family to me and I feel so lucky." He said he enjoyed having dinner with Leach's family, adding: “They will stay in my life forever."
Ellie denied any relationship and said: "Honestly, we’ve just been having the most amazing time dancing, and we built a really strong bond and a friendship that will last forever."
Vito added: "I wanted to say that word, I love that word! We had a beautiful bond. When you connect – I am a very 'first impression' person, and when we met we had that feeling that we knew each other since we were born!
"I’m so, so lucky to have you in my life!"
Away from his dancing prowess, Vito is an impressive linguist and as well as his native Italian is also fluent in Russian, English and Spanish. His current Strictly partner Ellie Leach was left tickled by the multi-lingual star occasionally getting his words mixed up.
window.topArticlesScript="https://cdn.images.express.co.uk/js/dist/article-top-articles20240910.min.js"Vito's passion for foodVito is passionate about his food and has his own YouTube channel dedicated to the subject. Before the busy Strictly schedule took over, he regularly uploaded "Vito's Way" videos showing him in the kitchen, giving honest reviews of (mainly Italian) restaurants and sampling local delicacies during the Strictly tour.
He explained: "I love it and I enjoyed a lot making it and editing. Food is one of my passions and I hope you'll like and enjoy as well."
From the videos, it's clear that Vito remains firm friends with his 2022 Strictly partner Fleur. In August he shared a video showing them enjoying a meal together at an Italian restaurant in London. Fleur said: "The thing that has always been at the centre of our friendship, outside of dance of course, is food!! We could eat all day! Really loved this partner and enjoying Vito’s way!!"
Inside Vito Coppola's life off-screen including Strictly Come Dancing 'romance'
Inside Vito Coppola's life off-screen including Strictly Come Dancing 'romance'
Inside Vito Coppola's life off-screen including Strictly Come Dancing 'romance'
Inside Vito Coppola's life off-screen including Strictly Come Dancing 'romance'
Inside Vito Coppola's life off-screen including Strictly Come Dancing 'romance'
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