Strictly Come Dancing's reigning champions Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola have unveiled their brand new matching tattoos.
The dance couple took a break from their busy schedule on the Strictly Live Tour to visit a tattoo studio in Liverpool.
Taking to his Instagram Stories, Vito updated his followers with his excitement about the new ink.
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Now forever bonded with a permanent reminder of their time together on Strictly, Vito and Ellie each got an unusual tattoo design – a cross between an aubergine and a bee with the word 'resilience' written underneath.
"Guys, we’re just done!" Vito exclaimed. "We are so, so happy."
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Giving high praise to the tattoo artist, he added: "The best is Nicola Oprey. There she is, look at her. She’s just the best."
"It’s beautiful," he reiterated, giving fans a closer look at his freshly inked arm.
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The dance duo originally announced their plans for the matching tattoos earlier this month during an appearance on ITV’s This Morning.
"We made a promise weeks ago," Ellie explained. "We had a little joke – 'if we make it to the final, why don’t we get a tattoo?' – but we didn’t expect to get there."
Explaining the unique choice of design, Ellie explained they were known backstage on Strictly as "the aubergine team", thanks to Vito's love of parmigiana.
They then decided to combine the aubergine with a bee because "the bee is a resilient insect", also representing their Strictly journey.
"That is the symbol of our bond and our friendship that we’ve made over Strictly," she enthused.
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.
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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
