Strictly Come Dancing winner Ellie Leach has gushed about Vito Coppola in her latest social media update. The message comes after the pair lifted the coveted Glitterball Trophy this weekend.
Following the pair being crowned King and Queen of the BBC ballroom, Ellie, 22, took to Instagram to thank her professional partner for supporting her. The former Coronation Street star shared a black-and-white Polaroid picture of herself and the 31-year-old lifting the competition’s grand prize.
In the caption, she wrote to her 386,000 followers: “To the most wonderful partner I could have ever asked for. Words cannot describe how much love and admiration I have for you.
“When we first met I had an immediate calming feeling with you, considering how high energy you are I don’t know how this was possible but it was. Immediately felt safe with you and I was so excited to see how our journey would end up.”
The soap star continued to say that she always “trusted” the Italian dancer, even when she “didn’t trust” herself and “feared” that she would eventually let the Strictly professional down. She explained that as a duo, they had “laughed uncontrollably” and “cried a lot”.
“But most importantly, we’ve been there for each other when we’ve needed it the most and we’ve given our everything every single week,” she said. “This experience is unlike anything I will ever experience again.”
After claiming that their “bond and friendship” will “never be matched” Ellie went on to say that watching her partner dance has been “joyous” and that he has a “true heart of gold”.
“Thank you, Vito. Thank you so much,” she quipped. “With you by my side I felt like I could conquer anything I put my mind to. (sic)
“You have changed my life and for that I will never be able to repay you. All that I can do is say thank you.”
Winding down her message, the celebrity champion wrote that she feels like the “luckiest person in the world” and that Vito was the real reason that they lifted the Glitterball.
“You are the reason why my life has changed for the better,” she added. “Love you always partner.”
Vito himself has taken to Instagram and wrote his own soul-stirring message of thanks.
After claiming that he was crying “tears of happiness”, he said that he only helped Ellie to see herself for who she really was.
“I saw the light in you since the first moment and you were shining already during our meeting day,” he explained. “You were just not able to see it, to recognise it and to appreciate you real beauty, and I think that every person deserves to see the light.”
The dancer continued to say that he has “opened” the Manchester native’s eyes and that he has enjoyed “every single day and week” they have spent together.
Vito added: “This is just the beginning Lulú,” followed by a butterfly emoji.
Following their Strictly success, the pair appeared on This Morning on Monday (18 December) alongside I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! winner Sam Thompson.
During the interview, ITV host Josie Gibson asked: “Guys I’ve got to ask. The chemistry between you is magic and we’ve seen you dance and it’s beautiful to watch. Is there any romance between you guys?
After laughing, Ellie replied to the 38-year-old and began: “Honestly we’ve just been having the most amazing time dancing and we’ve built a really strong bond and friendship that will last forever.”
The ex-Masked Singer star chimed in and said: “I love that word. We had a great bond a beautiful bond, you know.
“You see a person and you connect with a person straight away. I’m a very first-impression person you know and when we met we had that feeling that we knew each other all along.”
This Morning is on ITV on weekdays at 10am.