Strictly Come Dancing winner Ellie Leach has reflected on her impressive journey to the Glitterball Trophy, giving huge credit to her professional partner Vito Coppola.
The dance duo battled all the way to the final of 2023's Strictly season and were crowned champions in the grand finale.
Looking back on her experience in the BBC dance competition, Leach confessed Coppola pushed her to enhance both her dancing and personal life.
Related: Strictly's Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell reveal tour dances
Chatting about how she progressed throughout the competition, Leach revealed Coppola helped her build confidence and make lifestyle changes.
"I would never have had this personal journey without Vito saying to me: 'I believe in you, so just trust yourself, trust me'," she told Zoe Ball on her BBC Radio 2 breakfast show.
What to Read Next
"Yeah, constantly," Coppola chimed in, revealing his encouragement continued even after Leach had returned home for the day. "I was saying to her: 'Okay, do some meditation for just ten minutes. Just do it. Do the stretching, do this exercise, go to sleep early, eat healthy, and see you tomorrow'."
Related: Strictly's Shirley Ballas calls off wedding to fiance Danny Taylor
"It was literally constant 24/7," Leach laughed. "Like: 'Do this, do that, and make sure you look after yourself. Do this meditation and make sure you're doing yoga'. Like this is so much to do!"
When asked if she successfully completed every task Coppola advised her to do, Leach enthused: "Oh, of course."
This comes after the pair recently shared some exciting news with the viewers of ITV's This Morning. As Leach and Coppola appeared on Wednesday's (January 10) show, presenter Josie Gibson announced they'd be joining the "This Morning family".
Further detailing their new role on the show, Leach explained: "We are going to basically give three couples some dancing lessons".
Strictly Come Dancing will return later this year on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Tickets for Strictly's 2024 live arena tour are available now.
Interested in talking about Strictly Come Dancing? Visit our dedicated sub-forum
News Editor, Digital Spy
Emma is an experienced entertainment news journalist with NCTJ accreditation and a First-Class Honours Degree in Journalism. Having started her career as a broadcast journalist, Emma’s voice has been heard on varying radio stations across the UK including Absolute, Magic, BBC Three Counties Radio, LBC London News and more.
Later specialising in multimedia entertainment news, Emma has brushed shoulders with numerous famous faces and interviewed the likes of Edward Norton, Margot Robbie, Sir Michael Palin, Rick Astley, and too many soap stars to count. Having produced a range of engaging news content over the years for brands such as 7Digital’s Entertainment News, Yahoo, and Express Online, Emma eventually joined Digital Spy in 2022 as Deputy News Editor, becoming Acting News Editor in 2023 and then News Editor in 2024.
While she’s gained lots of praise during celebrity interviews throughout her career, the most memorable compliment Emma’s ever received was when a Game of Thrones star remarked "Your teeth are stunning!". LinkedIn
