BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Vito Coppola sends sweet message to 'partner' amid major move

Vito Coppola has been seen sending a sweet, supportive message to his 'partner' after they made a major career move.

Fans of Strictly Come Dancing will be aware that the professional dancer was paired with Fleur East during his first year on the show back in 2022.

Vito, who joined the hit dance show at the same time as Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley and Michelle Tsiakkas, and the singer, radio and TV star received the first perfect score of the series and later made it all the way to the final.

In the end, they missed out on lifting the Glitterball trophy, as they finished as runners-up behind winners Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przystał, alongside Helen Skelton and Gorka Márquez, and Molly Rainford and Carlos.

Since then, the pair have remained good friends and Fleur even landed a job co-hosting Strictly spin-off show, It Takes Two, along former Strictly pro Janette Manrara, keeping her in the dance show family.

They also continue to show their love and support for one another publicly, and Vito was among the first to share his delight when Fleur revealed she was set to make her theatre debut, playing the iconic Tina Turner in the legendary singer's self-titled musical.

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, which depicts the American singer’s life from her humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennessee to her transformation into a rock ‘n’ roll star, began in April 2018 at the Aldwych Theatre in London.

Fleur is sharing the role of Turner alongside one of its current stars, theatre actress Karis Anderson. She confirmed the news on The One Show back in April, saying: "I'm really excited to announce that I'll be playing Tina in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical on the West End!"

She's since been wowing audiences and taking to Instagram, she shared a glimpse of herself as Tina, as well a bit of behind-the-scenes of her spending time with her husband and daughter, Nova, in between performances, alongside the caption: "Life in Nutbush and beyond…Grateful for it all."

Vito was, as ever, keen to show his support as he commented on the post: "Partneeeeeer [heart emojis]. You are doing amazing and everyone who is close to you shines because of your bright beautiful light. Cannot wait to see you smashing it Live!!!."

It comes after Fleur watched Vito and fellow Strictly pro Dianne Buswell in action in their own show. The pair revealed back in May 2024 that they would be going on their very own joint tour, titled Dianne and Vito: Red Hot and Ready.

The show comes from those behind Burn The Floor, a live dance show which has performed around the world, with Strictly's creative director Jason Gilkison helping choreograph the tour.

Last month, Fleur shared a clip to Instagram which saw Vito singing is heart out as Dianne danced with another dancer. "Such a beautiful show with silky vocals from @vitocoppola," Fleur shared.

She added:" Beautiful dancing and lovely stories! Go and see @dianneandvito LIVE! Congrats @diannebuswell and @vitocoppola for such a wonderful show [red heart emojis]."