A Strictly Come Dancing contestant who has been the subject of romance speculations with her partner has defined their relationship following a ‘kiss’.
Coronation Street star Ellie Leach and her professional dance partner Vito Coppola have been going from strength to strength in this year’s edition of the BBC competition.
So far, their best score has come from their American Smooth, which got a 39 out of a potential 40 in week seven.
In addition to their dancing abilities, their burgeoning friendship has piqued the imagination of viewers, particularly after Amanda Abbington appeared to reveal that they had become more than friends.
After Amanda referred to Ellie and Vito as a ‘wonderful pair,’ the dancer planted a kiss on his partner’s cheek on live TV, fueling the allegations even more.
They were observed appearing quite close while practising one of their routines, their most recent dance being a highly emotional Rumba for which they earned a score of 35.
However, the two maintain that they are only friends.
Ellie, 22, mentioned their week five Paso doble in a recent interview, following which Vito, 30, was seen laying his hands on her cheek and kissing her twice.
‘It was only a kiss on the cheek. He gives me a kiss on the cheek every Saturday! It was definitely on the cheek,’ she told OK! magazine.
‘We really, really get along and we have a lovely friendship. I hope we can continue that.’
She added: ‘We’ve got a really good relationship where we kind of know what the other needs. Vito even lets me have power naps during training.’
Ellie ended her five-year relationship with her partner in May of this year.
The actress previously opened up about the split, telling the Mirror: ‘Being cheated on was upsetting, but now’s the perfect time to put my all into Strictly and give that 500%.’
Opening up about her bond with Vito, she added: ‘The physical closeness is weird. They say when you dance, two people become like one.
‘It does help to be an actor. But poor Vito, because I’ve been sweating, I’ve been crying… I’ll cry at anything – if I’m happy, I cry, if I’m sad, I cry, if I’m excited, I cry, if I’m angry, I cry. So whether it’s tears or sweat, he’s going to end up soaked.’
Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday at 6.40pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
