Strictly's Ellie Leach shuts down Vito Coppola romance rumours with telling comment

Ellie Leach has shut down rumours of a romance with her Strictly Come Dancing partner Vito Coppola, telling fans that men and women “can love each other as friends”.

The pair got close when they were on the BBC ballroom contest last year and the rumour mill cranked up after viewers picked up on their sizzling chemistry on the dance floor. But Ellie poured cold water on the gossip as she penned a sweet message about Vito.

Sharing a cute black and white snap of the pro on her Instagram Story, the former Corrie star said the dancer had “the cutest face”. “Love this man dearly,” she said, adding a single red heart emoji.

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But she went on: “Men and women can be friends and can love each other as friends… just saying x.”

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Viewers were convinced that Ellie and Vito were an item during the last season of Strictly, which they went on to win, noting their closeness on the dancefloor and the adorable comments they made about each other on social media.

The are they/aren’t they whisperings rumbled on throughout the competition, but Ellie and Vito cleared things up when they appeared on ITV’s This Morning in December after winning the Glitterball trophy.

Ellie and Vito were discussing their win and hosts Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle couldn’t help quizzing them about whether they were dating. But they insisted that they just had a special bond and had a blast dancing together.

“Honestly, we've just been having the most amazing time dancing and we've built a really strong bond and a friendship that will last forever,” said Ellie, who is best known for playing Faye Windass on the cobbles.

"We have a beautiful bond, a good bond,” agreed Vito. “When you see a person and you connect with a person straight away.

"I am a very first impression person and when we met, we had that feeling that we knew each other for so long.

"I'm so so lucky to have you in my life,” he told the actress.

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