Strictly Come Dancing pro Vito Coppola has revealed the secret challenge he incorporated into his latest dance with Ellie Goldstein. During an appearance on It Takes Two yesterday (7 October), the dancer and the model discussed their recent performance for Week 2, a waltz to 'Your Song' by Ellie Golding that earned them a score of 23.
Speaking with host and former Strictly pro Jeanette Manrara, Vito explained how "proud" he was of Ellie overcame a challenging moment in their butterfly-inspired dance.
The waltz kicked off with Ellie making a big entrance by going down the stairs on her own and meeting Vito in the middle of the dance floor.
"This is also our own little journey, we want to have a little challenge, and Ellie was a little bit afraid of getting down from the stairs on her own," Vito said.
Related: Best streaming services
"I said, 'That's why we're going to set this challenge, you're going to come down on your own and we're going to meet on the middle of the floor' and I was so, so proud," he continued.
What to Read Next
"The moment you were spinning around, I thought, 'Oh she's going to fly now like a butterfly.'"
For her part, Ellie admitted she was nervous at first, but praised the "great" dance Vito created for them. "I had nerves at first but they were coming down, the waltz was a good dance, it was a great dance by Vito," she said.
Related: Strictly's La Voix corrects "biggest problem" that aired on Gogglebox
"I got a bit emotional but on the inside, not on the outside," Ellie added.
Ellie and Vito improved on their scores from Week 1, which saw them dance a Cha Cha Cha to 'Yes, And?' by Ariana Grande and earn 17 points.
Next up on Strictly, the couple will channel Barbie and Ken for Movie Week. The duo are set to dance a samba to 'Dance the Night' from Greta Gerwig's acclaimed movie Barbie.
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays 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.
Interested in talking about Strictly? Visit our dedicated sub-forum
Read more Strictly news on our dedicated homepage
The new edition of Living Legends is here! Buy Gaga in newsagents or online, priced at just £8.99.
Reporter, Digital Spy
Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).
