Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola took Strictly Come Dancing fans down memory lane as they re-created a clip from their first-ever rehearsal on Instagram.
The former dance partners reunited ahead of the new season of Strictly, sharing a playful clip lip-syncing to a comedic scene from The X Factor and sparking fans to flood to the comments to share their laughter.
"We started our first rehearsal one year ago with a funny reel and we are going to start our last rehearsal in the same way… #theaubergineteam," wrote Vito.
"I'm not going to lie… we have filmed it about seven times or more because we kept laughing at each other."
Declaring his love for Ellie, Italian dancer Vito added: "Love you babyyy," to the end of his caption, leaving fans to speculate about their relationship status.
"This is hilariously funny," began one fan. "From a COUPLE so compatible with each other, don’t think anyone could paint a picture showing so much love…"
Another fan wrote; "Love you too, you are so cute together," while a third added: "You two are just so adorable."
© BBCEllie and Vito captured the hearts of the nation as they soared through to the final of Strictly Come Dancing in 2023, lifting the Glitterball when they were crowned the winners of the BBC dance competition.
The actress, 23, who rose to fame playing Faye Windass in Coronation Street, shares an incredibly close relationship with Strictly star Vito, 32, and their on-screen chemistry as well as their public displays of affection added fuel to speculation that their dance partnership was something more.
© InstagramDespite their professions of love, Ellie and Vito insist they are just friends, with the actress confirming the status of their relationship in an Instagram post shared during the Strictly tour earlier this year.
"Love this man dearly," wrote Ellie, adding a red heart emoji. "Men and women can be friends and can love each other AS FRIENDS… just sayin x."
She added: "@vitocoppola you have the cutest face."
© InstagramWhile there are plenty of cases of Strictly love stories blossoming from the show, Ellie and Vito have remained firm on their stance that their 'love' is purely platonic.
