Ellie Leach and her partner Vito Coppola have shared the reason why they postponed their rumored romance ahead of the finale.
The 22-year-old Coronation Street star is the bookmakers' favorite to win the Glitterball in Saturday night's final with her odds of 1/10.
She will join her dance partner Vito, 31, in competing against Layton Williams and Bobby Brazier to win the Glitterball trophy.
Vito spoke about the rumored romance with the Corrie star, saying: 'We have so many things to think about, you know, and choreography, and moving up and down, left, right, diagonally.
“And after we're done, we'll have time to eat quickly. We take a nap because we need the energy to keep going.”
Ellie Leach and her partner Vito Coppola have shared the reason why they postponed their rumored romance ahead of the finale
“After we go home, we'll make sure we get some sleep, we have to go back the next day.”
The choreographer made it clear that despite their strong bond, the pair will turn their focus to a grueling workout to try and win the Glitterball trophy.
“So we're really so focused on all these wonderful experiences. We just had a really good relationship, a 50/50 partnership since the beginning,” said Vito.
Ellie added: “I think obviously we've been dancing together for so many weeks? We've been together every day for three months.
'And you really have to have a strong collaboration to be able to rely on each other.'
Elsewhere during the chat, Ellie spoke of her joy at reaching the final.
She said: 'Honestly I feel so lucky to be in the final, everyone in this competition has been so great.'
'I do it for the girls! The last woman standing! I just loved everything about this experience. I feel really grateful to be here.”
The Coronation Street star, 22, is the bookmakers' favorite to win the Glitterball in Saturday night's final with her odds at 1/10, and will battle it all out alongside her dance partner Vito, 31, against Layton Williams and Bobby Brazier.
Ellie and Vito will perform a dance to a mega mix by Jennifer Lopez – which the Italian hunk described as 'a bit like minestrone' as it combines many different dance styles.
She explained: 'I was so nervous at the start. I was like, 'Look, I'm really sorry. There will be things I don't know if I can do, and I was really, really scared.”
'I've never had any dancing experience. I actually can't believe we're in the final, and how quickly the time has passed.
“Every night feels like Christmas Eve, like waking up excited on Christmas Day,” Ellie added.
'I do it for the girls! The last woman standing! I just loved everything about this experience. I'm just really grateful to be here,” Ellie said excitedly ahead of the series finale
“We have so many things to think about, you know, and choreography, and moving up and down, left, right, diagonally. And after we're done, we have time to eat quickly. We take a nap because we need the energy to continue. “After we go home, we make sure we sleep the next day, we have to go again,” Vito said candidly
The soap actress admitted she lacked confidence ahead of the series after her string of setbacks and was incredibly 'nervous' about dancing in front of millions of viewers
Ellie said Vito believed in her from the start of their partnership, so she learned to trust herself and ability as a dancer.
Ellie admitted that prior to the series she lacked confidence after her series of setbacks and was incredibly 'nervous' about dancing in front of millions of viewers.
But Vito has breathed new life into her and Ellie says she has now discovered an inner dance diva she never knew existed.
Ellie said: “At the start of the competition I didn't really have a lot of self-belief and confidence and that's something I've always really struggled with.
'Strictly has really helped me build on that and grow because obviously we're going live on Saturday nights, which is something I'm really not used to, and we're dancing in front of millions of people and doing something that's completely out of your comfort level. zone, so for me that really helped build my confidence.
'After week one I thought, this is the strangest experience ever and I can't believe I've just danced live on TV in front of millions of people, but as the weeks went by I thought, I'm starting to learn a new skill set and a lot more about myself and Vito believed in me from the beginning, so I thought, if Vito believes in me and trusts that I can do this dance, then maybe I should have more faith in myself.”
Ellie played Faye Windass in Coronation Street for 12 years, a role she got when she was nine, before she was cruelly axed last May.
Ellie remained coy about the dating speculation but praised the pair's chemistry, saying: 'You really need a strong partnership to be able to trust each other'
The following month she divorced model boyfriend Reagan Pettman, with whom she had been in a relationship for five years, after it emerged that he cheated on her.
But the actress has managed to overcome her heartbreak by starring in Strictly and winning the hearts of the nation in the process.
She has also impressed Vito, as the pair have been dogged by romance rumors since the first weeks of the series.
Ellie remained coy about the dating speculation, praising the pair's chemistry, however.
She said: 'Obviously we've been dancing together for three months, and we've been together every day. You really need a strong partnership to be able to rely on each other.
'Vito is also a great dancer for me. That's why he's a professional and I have to trust him here. It's all about him putting his trust in me because it's something I've never done before.
'To make the choreography so difficult, there has to be a lot of trust.'
Vito, who split from his ex-girlfriend and former celebrity partner on Italy's version of Strictly, pop star Arisa, in 2021, says there are “no words to describe” how much he enjoys being in her company.
He added: “I have trusted her from day one and I believe in her potential. We have had a very good relationship from the beginning, a 50 percent partnership.
'We're so busy all day with rehearsals… we have so many things to think about… choreography, lifts up and down, left right, and when we're done we have time to eat and have a little to nap. have the energy to continue rehearsing and after we go home, we make sure we eat and sleep because we have to be back the next day, so we are really so focused on the beautiful experience.
“Words cannot describe how much we enjoy this amazing experience every day, every rehearsal and second.”
Ellie is the last woman standing in the BBC competition after Annabel Croft narrowly missed out on a place in the grand final
Vito says there are 'no words to describe' how much he enjoys being in Ellie's company as they approach the Strictly final on Saturday night
Ellie is the last woman standing in the BBC competition after Annabel Croft, 57, narrowly missed out on a place in the final.
She will face off against Layton Williams and Bobby Brazier to be crowned the winner, saying she is “doing it for the girls.”
“I feel so lucky to be in the final, especially with Bobby and Layton,” Ellie said.
“Everyone in this league was so great and we all got along so well and we really fought for each other.
But in Vito's eyes, Ellie, who he calls his My Lulú, is already a winner, as he continued to praise her work ethic and dancing ability.
He added: 'She's been my winner since day one, the way she moves, and she's worked so hard since day one.
“You have been a winner every week, my winner, our winner, for me… our couple, your friends and family are so proud.”
Strictly Come Dancing: The Final is on Saturday December 16 at 7pm, on BBC One and BBC iPlayer