Vito Coppola has quite the Strictly record, with the professional dancer having reached the final with all three of his partners, Fleur East, Ellie Leach and Sarah Hadland; he even lifted the trophy with Ellie back in 2023. The 32-year-old is returning to the ballroom this year, and he no doubt will be hoping to lift the Glitterball once again. Before getting on Strictly, the dancer had trained from a young age and is an 11-time Latin American Champion. The Italian stallion is also a three-time World Championship finalist and European Cup Winner.
It's not just dancing where Vito is talented, as he's also an incredible cook, having won Celebrity MasterChef last year, and is multi-lingual; in addition to Italian, he is fluent in English, Russian and Spanish. However, less is known about his personal life, so while we wait to see who the dancer is paired with this year, HELLO! has all the details below…
Girlfriend
The Italian star has been linked to personal brand strategist Valentina Sica, who is also Italian. The pair haven't commented on the nature of their relationship, but they got tongues wagging in July 2025 when the raven-haired beauty appeared on Vito's Instagram Stories. The duo were seen posing in a backstage area with Vito winking at the camera, while Valentina took a snap. However, on their main feeds, the prospective couple haven't shared any pictures together. In the past, Vito has been linked with fellow Strictly pro Jowita Przystal, with eagle-eyed fans becoming convinced after Jowita shared how much she enjoyed eating tiramisu in Vito's home country of Italy.
© InstagramEx-girlfriend
Prior to joining the BBC programme, Vito was best known for appearing on the Italian version of Strictly Come Dancing, Ballando con le Stelle. In 2021, he partnered popstar Arisa and the pair went on to become champions of that series. While taking part in that series, Vito and Arisa grew close, and the pair embarked on a romantic relationship after the show wrapped. However, in 2022, Italian media outlets reported that the couple parted ways after facing a "rocky patch".
Vito told Italian publication Mio that they remained on "good terms" and still had a "friendly bond" following their split. When Vito joined Strictly in 2022, it was reported that the professional had grown close with celebrity contestant Molly Rainford. However, neither party confirmed this, and since late 2022, Molly has been involved with fellow Strictly alum Tyler West.
Vito Coppola and Ellie Leach's bond
During their time on the show together, Vito and dance partner Ellie were linked on multiple occasions due to their incredible chemistry. Vito even gave Ellie the sweet nickname of 'Lulu', and the pair seemed to declare their love for one another several times. Ellie confirmed the status of their relationship in an Instagram post shared during the Strictly tour earlier this year. "Love this man dearly. Men and women can be friends and can love each other AS FRIENDS… just sayin x." She added: "@vitocoppola you have the cutest face."
© Dave BenettVito previously spoke to HELLO! and other reporters about ignoring the speculation over their friendship. The dancer said: "We are in the rehearsals all day, we have so many things to think about, choreography. "We have to have the time to eat, we nap a little bit, then we go home and we eat and sleep because we rehearse again so we really are so focused. All of this beautiful experience, words cannot describe how we are enjoying every single rehearsal, every single second of this amazing experience."
