Vito Coppola has done little to rubbish the romance rumours surrounding him and his dance partner, Ellie Leach. In Strictly Come Dancing's latest hidden mics clip, the professional dancer called the soap star "his girl" and revealed how he was "in love" with her.
The pair, who are tipped to make it through to this year's finals next week, danced the Quickstep to Beauty and the Beast's Belle in honour of Musicals Week. Watch the fun clip below to see what Vito exactly said.
Although it seems Vito fully immersed himself in character, fans were quick to remark on the lovable moment. "Vito ain't lying is he," one mused, while another said: "Vito is on love." A third post read: "Vito once again being real gift for us."
During It Takes Two on Thursday, Ellie opened up about the routine and said: "Yeah I absolutely loved it and it was so much fun and it really did feel like a full performance, I felt like I was in a musical and it was amazing."
The routine also saw Ellie dance with another professional dancer, and explaining the change in dynamic, she added: "It was a bit scary at first because honestly, I am so used to dancing with Vito and being in that hold with him. So to dance with somebody else was a little bit scary but I really enjoyed it and the extra dancers are amazing.
© BBC"I felt great dancing with someone else, not as great as I feel dancing with you though," she remarked while reassuring Vito, who responded: "Thank you...You know how to make it sweet."
Host Janette Manrara then probed: "Clearly you were jealous of her dancing with someone else then?" To which Vito laughed, and said: "I mean, she was enjoying so much, I was like, 'Ok, ok, ok stop!' But it was amazing."
HELLO! recently spoke with body language expert, Noor Hibbert, the author of Sunday Times Bestseller You Only Live Once, about their close bond – and how their chemistry could be down to amazing showmanship.
© BBC"Vito is a showman and Ellie is an actress, so both of them have the amazing skill of being able to create a story that emotionally connects in their dancing and have the skills which allows them to come across as though they may be in a relationship," the author explained.
"They clearly have a great connection and are comfortable putting on an intimate show, but since both are trained to do this in their own careers, I would say this dance is the work of two people who are very talented at crafting a great show."
She added: "The questioning from viewers of, 'Are they or aren't they' is part of the magic which their dancing creates - hence you have some people saying they may be faking it.
"This isn't to say that their friendship may not be developing into something further behind the scenes. But in relation to their sizzling Argentine Tango, I think they have done an excellent job of putting on a show.
"Ellie is an actress, therefore trained in making an act appear realistic to those watching. Over the weeks, through their dances, we have seen she has got more and more comfortable with him. This happens when a friendship grows.
"This is no different to the speculation about Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga in 'A Star is Born'. People thought they were in an off-screen relationship due to the chemistry they created on screen. We may just be seeing the same with Vito and Ellie. Only time will tell if the Strictly curse has struck them."
