16 December 2023 , 18:00
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Ellie Leach has explained how her professional dance partner Vito Coppola "changed" things for her.
The former Coronation Street actress is now in the final of Strictly Come Dancing and says she has Vito to thank for getting her so far in the competition. She explained he has helped to shape her as a person and boost her confidence.
She recalled her first day in the training room, and her fears for getting the routines wrong, but Vito has now revealed she has grown in confidence and finally trusts herself - which is what he has wanted for her all along.
Ellie and Vito have impressed during their time on the show (PA)Speaking about her time in Strictly so far, she told The Mirror and other press: "I think that at the beginning of the competition, I really didn't have much self-confidence or self-belief. And that's something that I've always really struggled with. And so I think that Strictly has really helped me to build on that and grow, because obviously we go live on Saturday night, which is something that I'm really not used to. And you kind of put out to millions of people and doing something that's completely out of your comfort zone. So for me, that really, really helped me in building my self confidence.
"I think after week one I was like, this is the strangest experience ever. I can't believe that I've just danced live on TV in front of millions of people. But then as the weeks kind of went on, I was like, okay, I'm starting to learn a new skill. I'm starting to learn a lot more about myself. And Vito believed in me from the start. And so that made me be like, okay, well if Vito believes in me and he can trust me to do this dance, then maybe I should have a little bit more belief in myself."
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Ellie went on to explain that Vito really helped to shape her - both as a person and as a dancer.
"I was so nervous at the start. And honestly I said to Vito when we first trained, I was like, look, I'm really sorry. There's gonna be things that I don't know how to do. And I was really, really scared and I'd never had like any dance experience. When you listen to music, you can move to music and you know, if you have a little bit rhythm or not.
"I honestly didn't, didn't know if I would be able to pick up ballroom and Latin dancing. At the start, I didn't trust myself at all. So then as the weeks kind of progressed, I was like, okay, I'm starting to get into the groove of things. So trusting yourself a little bit more. And I think that's where I kind of really found my kind of groove on the dance floor."
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