Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola of Strictly Come Dancing have been accused of forming a’showmance’ in the hopes of winning the contest.
Former Coronation Street actress Ellie, 22, and her professional partner Vito, 31, have been fan favourites to win this season and have received plaudits from the judges throughout the competition.
However, the two have reportedly began dating after meeting on the BBC dancing show.
However, it has now been suggested that the couple’s passion is only for show.
Instead, they’re putting on a show, hoping that suspicion about their connection will help them garner votes as they move closer to the final, which is now just a few weeks away.
‘Vito is an experienced pro, and knows what he’s doing,’ a source has said.
‘He and Ellie had an instant friendship and a great connection, but it definitely wasn’t sexual.
‘However, once viewers picked up on their connection, Vito especially was keen to let people jump to their own conclusions,’ they added when speaking to The Sun.
They added: ‘By letting people think they’re together, the hope is they’ll further endear themselves to the nation.
‘A few others on the show think it’s a bit cynical but they genuinely are having a lot of fun together.’
Speculation that the pair were more than friends all began when actress Amanda Abbington labelled them ‘the most beautiful couple’ a few weeks ago, with the pair then seeing kissing each other on the cheek before Ellie later said they had a ‘lovely friendship’.
Then, during last week’s episode, Vito added fuel to the fire by making a vulgar remark live on camera.
On Saturday’s broadcast, host Claudia Winkleman asked him about their Argentine Tango performance, which needs intense love as the dancers stare into each other’s eyes with very little space between their bodies.
He stated what advise he provided Ellie after the performance to urge her to experience the enthusiasm.
‘It’s difficult because coming from the last week, it was very spread out, everything. This is completely in, so you have a ball of fire, just keep in. Look at me, and I said, “Eat me with your eyes.”’
Following the comment, Ellie laughed, and the other celebrities and professional dancers whooped with delight.
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 7.25pm on BBC One.
