Strictly Come Dancing winners Vito Coppola “made dance partner Ellie Leach feel safe again” after one dangerous lift went horribly wrong, a body language expert claimed.
During the BBC life final on Saturday night (December 16), the three finalists battled it out to lift the infamous glitterball trophy. First to take to the stage with their second routine was the former Coronation Street star as they performed their showdance to a Jennifer Lopez megamix.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly as they danced the night away until their final finishing lift that the Italian dancer described as “dangerous”. Throughout the routine, the pair completed a series of complicated lifts.
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But at the very end, Ellie tried to stand on Vito’s shoulders and wobbled as she tried to straighten her knees. The actress seemed like she was about to come crashing down onto the stage as she let go of is hands for a final pose.
Luckily, the 31-year-old hunk immediately flipped her around and lowered her to the floor, seamlessly incorporating the mistake into the routine. Ellie was naturally upset about the big blunder after the performance wrapped up, with Vito quick to comfort her.
He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and ignored her apologies before he planted a series of kisses on her cheek. Now, body language expert Inbaal Honigman has lifted the lid on their ever-growing close bond after analysing the intimate moment.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Star, she said: “Ellie is shaken after her near-miss and is sincere in her apology to Vito. She repeats the word ‘sorry’ again but it’s not just a word to her at that moment.
“As she says it, she lowers her eyes, which shows that she really sorry for her misstep. She’s still smiling with her teeth exposed, which is the way she’s required to smile for most dancer, but her mouth is turned downwards, signifying sadness.”
The expert went on to reveal how intensely the ballroom dancer supported the actress. She added: “Vito goes out of his way to let her know that he is not disappointed in her. He embraces her with his arms so fully, that she can barely move.
“This is intended to make her feel safe, being surrounded entirely by the dancer. As he reassured her, he holds Ellie’s face with both his hands and speaks expressively right into her face, letting her know that it’s alright.
“The way he holds her so she can’t see anyone and anything else, is so that he can get the messages to her, that only what he says matters and she shouldn’t look around and find any naysayers.” After watching the emotional scenes play out, fans flooded to X – formerly known as Twitter – to share their support online.
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One user penned: “I don’t care that they didn’t fully make the last lift – Ellie and Vito’s show dance showed them pushing beyond anything they’d ever done before much more than the other two, IMO, even though I think they also did incredible dances. They get my votes today, 100 per cent.”
Another penned: “Aww I'm genuinely gutted for Ellie. Someone please hug her for me!” A third posted a clip of a woman wiping away tears along with the caption: “Vito holding Ellie’s face and telling her it’s okay after the lift.”
Despite their blunder, the pair went on to be crowned the winners of Strictly Come Dancing 2023 in a nail-biting final between Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin and Bobby Brazier and Diane Buswell.
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