Vito Coppola and Ellie Leach are the reigning Strictly champions, with the couple lifting the Glitterball Trophy last year, beating EastEnders star Bobby Brazier and Bad Education's Layton Williams.
Although last year marked Vito's first Strictly win, after he fell just short with Fleur East the preceding year, the 31-year-old from Naples has been training from a young age and is also an 11-time Latin American Champion.
The Italian stallion is also a three-time World Championship finalist and European Cup Winner. It's not just dancing where Vito is talented as he's also a talented cook and multi-lingual; in addition to Italian, he is fluent in English, Russian and Spanish.
However, less is known about his personal life, so while we wait to see who the dancer is paired with this year, HELLO! has all the details below…
Girlfriend
© InstagramIt's been reported that Vito is currently single. The professional is clearly keeping busy with his time on Strictly Come Dancing.
Ex-girlfriend
Prior to joining the BBC programme, Vito was best known for appearing on the Italian version of Strictly Come Dancing, Ballando con le Stelle. In 2021, he was partnered with the popstar Arisa and the pair went on to become champions of that series.
© InstagramWhile taking part in that series, Vito and Arisa grew close, and the pair embarked on a romantic relationship after the show wrapped. However, in 2022, Italian media outlets reported that the couple parted ways after facing a "rocky patch". Vito told Italian publication Mio that they remained on "good terms" and still had a "friendly bond" following their split.
When Vito joined Strictly in 2022, it was reported that the professional had grown close with celebrity contestant Molly Rainford. However, neither party confirmed this and, since late 2022, Molly has been involved with fellow Strictly alum Tyler West.
Vito Coppola and Ellie Leach's bond
During their time on the show together, Vito and dance partner Ellie were linked on multiple occasions due to their incredible chemistry. Vito even gave Ellie the sweet nickname of 'Lulu', and the pair seemed to declare their love for one another several times.
Ellie confirmed the status of their relationship in an Instagram post shared during the Strictly tour earlier this year. "Love this man dearly. Men and women can be friends and can love each other AS FRIENDS… just sayin x." She added: "@vitocoppola you have the cutest face."
© Dave BenettVito previously spoke to HELLO! and other reporters about ignoring the speculation over their friendship. The dancer said: "We are in the rehearsals all day, we have so many things to think about, choreography.
"We have to have the time to eat, we nap a little bit, then we go home and we eat and sleep because we rehearse again so we really are so focused. All of this beautiful experience, words cannot describe how we are enjoying every single rehearsal, every single second of this amazing experience."
