Who is Ellie Leach? Meet the Strictly Come Dancing 2023 contestant and Corrie star
She's swapped the cobbles for the dance floor.
The Strictly Come Dancing final is finally here, and performing this weekend with the hope of lifting the Glitterball are Ellie Leach and her professional dance partner Vito Coppola.
The Coronation Street star has had a phenomenal journey on the BBC One dancing show, impressing the judges and managing to top the leaderboard on multiple weekends.
The Strictly Come Dancing songs and dances have been revealed for the final, and as well as a show dance, Ellie has a Paso Doble and an American Smooth.
But, will it be enough to give her the winning title? Former Strictly pro Vincent Simone thinks so.
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Vincent tipped Ellie to win, saying: "I love Vito! Since he joined Strictly, I think he is the best professional male dancer without a shadow of a doubt.
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"I really enjoy watching him from a professional point of view, and he's an amazing teacher with what he managed to achieve with Ellie – amazing! All I can say is amazing, and I think she should win. They should win!"
Ellie and Vito will face Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell, and Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin in the final.
During the final, we'll also see some of this year's contestants returning to the ballroom for a special group dance. While Nigel Harman has been confirmed to take part, after having to pull out due to an injury, Amanda Abbington won't be returning for the final.
As Ellie takes to the dance floor for her final three performances, read on for everything you need to know about the Strictly contestant, including all her scores and Strictly journey overall.
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.
Read more:
- Strictly’s Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola don’t listen to romance rumours
- Layton Williams won’t let trolls ‘define Strictly Come Dancing journey’
Ellie Leach's Strictly journey so far
Scoreboard
Week One: Jive (7+8+7+7) = 29
Week Two: Foxtrot (8+8+7+8) = 31
Week Three: Viennese waltz (8+9+8+8) = 33
Week Four: Samba (7+7+7+7) = 28
Week Five: Paso Doble (9+10+9+9) = 37
Week Six: Salsa (9+10+10+9) = 38
Week Seven: American Smooth (9+10+10+10) = 39
Week Eight: Rumba (8+9+9+9) = 35
Week Nine: Charleston (9+10+10+10) = 39
Week 10: Argentine Tango (9+10+10+9) = 38
Week 11: Quickstep (9+9+9+9) = 36
Semi-final: (9+10+9+9) + (9+9+10+10) + Week 11 = 111
The actress was in first place on the leaderboard until Layton took over in Week 11 with his perfect score.
During Week 10, Ellie scored an almost perfect score of 38 points for her and Vito Coppola's Argentine tango to Bills, Bills, Bills by Destiny's Child.
Judge Anton Du Beke didn't hold back when it came to his comments about the performance, nothing that it "lacked a bit of intensity".
"As we expect from you, it was clean, it was brilliant ... I felt, if we're being hypercritical and we are at that stage, it lacked a bit of intensity. I mean, it did. It looked a little bit like 'here we go, a bit of that and a bit of that'," Anton said while talking about their dance moves. But he concluded: "I have to say, you are brilliant."
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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!!!!"
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."
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.
The Strictly Come Dancing final airs on Saturday 16th December at 7pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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