Vito Coppola was described as a "crazy uncle" as he cuddled up to his former Strictly partner Fleur East's newborn baby.
Fleur gave birth to daughter Nova on 22 March at her home with her husband Marcel, announcing the news on Instagram with a photo of herself cradling her newborn in a sling on a walk.
"And just like that, our baby girl, Nova, is here!! Our daughter entered the world via squat position into the arms of my husband and I on our living room floor! One day I will share my birth story with you (what a RIDE!), but for now, we are resting and doing well," she wrote, adding: "Our little Nova was born on the 22nd March and it feels like she’s always been here."
The two-week-old has been slowly introduced to the doting mother's friends and family members, and Fleur joked that she already has a special bond with Vito. Dressed in a cute and colourful giraffe print babygrow, baby Nova sported a mop of curly hair as she slept soundly in the professional dancer's arms while he grinned for a selfie.
"Nova's crazy uncle Vito came to visit and it's fair to say they get on well," Fleur captioned the photo, before claiming they were "best friends."
In a second snap, Vito lifted the little girl into the air so she was at eye height with him, looking relaxed and happy performing his honourary uncle duties.
The Italian dancer, 31, has no children of his own and tends to remain private about his love life. Vito was linked to his recent celebrity partner, Ellie Leach, who won Strictly in 2023. They regularly played down reports of a romance, insisting they were just friends despite him calling her "my baby" and the pair getting matching tattoos of an aubergine and a bee.
"We have a great, great relationship," Vito said whilst putting his arm around Ellie during an appearance on This Morning.
Ellie has since been linked to her Strictly co-star, Bobby Brazier, while Vito recently declared his "love" for a woman named Julia, though it's not clear if she is a close friend or partner.
Vito previously dated Italian popstar Arisa, with whom he won the 16th series of Ballando con le Stelle, the Italian version of Strictly. The former couple split in 2022 following a "rocky patch" before he moved to the United Kingdom.
Vito insisted their relationship ended amicably, telling Italian publication Mio that they remained on "good terms" and still had a "friendly bond."
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