Who is Ellie Leach? Meet the Strictly Come Dancing 2023 contestant and Corrie star
She is swapping the cobbles for the dance floor this year.
Fans looking for stand-outs in the first live show of this year's Strictly Come Dancing will no doubt have found their eye drawn to Coronation Street alum Ellie Leach, who shot right to joint top of the leaderboard following her debut routine.
Leach burst onto the dance floor in week 1, performing a Jive to Can't Tame Her by Zara Larsson alongside her partner Vito Coppola, and scoring a whopping 29 points, which meant that she tied with the frontrunner at the time, Layton Williams.
Following Leach's knockout performance, Shirley said: "From the tips of your toe to the top of your head, you have it all."
Leach is best-known for starring in Coronation Street, with the actress having recently left the ITV soap after starring as Faye Windass for 12 years. Leach had numerous hard-hitting storylines during her long stint on the cobbles, and was nominated for multiple awards for her performances.
Ellie is competing on Strictly alongside the likes of Amanda Abbington, Angela Rippon, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Eddie Kadi, Angela Scanlon and Zara McDermott.
She previously said that appearing on Strictly has been a longtime "dream" of hers, but after a strong debut does she have what it takes to go all the way and lift that coveted Glitterball trophy?
We'll just have to wait and see, but in the meantime you can read on for everything you need to know about Ellie Leach.
Who is Ellie Leach?
Age: 22
Job: Actor
Instagram: @ellielouiseleach
Twitter: @ellieLleach
Strictly partner: Vito Coppola
Ellie Leach is an actor best known for playing the role of Faye Windass on Coronation Street from 2011 until her exit from the soap earlier this year in April 2023 - with her final scenes airing this past May.
Having been in the soap since she was 10 years old, Leach has tackled a number of hard-hitting storylines, including Faye's pregnancy at age 13, a very complicated love life, a stint in prison and early menopause.
Her final major storyline involved reconnecting with the child she gave up, Miley, which led to her character's departure from the soap.
Now, Leach has left the soap in the hopes of pursuing other acting opportunities after being in Corrie for 12 years.
Ellie Leach's Strictly journey so far
Scoreboard
Week One: Jive (7+8+7+7) = 29
What has Ellie Leach said about joining Strictly 2023?
Speaking about the exciting news of her Strictly Come Dancing confirmation, Leach said: "It still doesn't feel real that I’m going to be doing Strictly!! It's always been a dream of mine so I guess dreams really do come true!!!!"
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During the Strictly launch show, Leach was paired with professional dancer Vito Coppola, something she says she is "so happy" about.
In an exclusive chat with RadioTimes.com, Ellie said she is "excited to do everything" when it comes to Strictly, as she has no dancing experience.
She said: "I'm just excited to kind of be thrown into all of the different dances. I think being able to learn something new on a new scale is amazing."
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When does Strictly Come Dancing 2023 air?
The Strictly Come Dancing 2023 live shows air every Saturday evening, with the results show airing the following Sunday evening on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday 30th September at 6:20pm. The results show will air on Sunday 1st October on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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