EXCLUSIVE: Strictly Come Dancing skilled Vito Coppola has addressed the show’s return after some dancers introduced their exits.
Vito joined Strictly in 2022, however has but to verify whether or not he’ll be returning (Image: BBC)
Strictly Come Dancing star Vito Coppola has spoken out in regards to the upcoming collection.
Professional dancer Vito joined Strictly in 2022, successful the next yr with Ellie Leach, and most just lately, partnering with Ellie Goldstein.
The Italian dancer has but to verify whether or not he’ll be returning for the brand new collection, which is present process a major shake-up amid a so-called ‘bloodbath’.
Four feminine skilled dancers – Luba Mushtuk, Karen Hauer, Nadiya Bychkova and Michelle Tsiakkas – have all confirmed their exits from the programme, with the likes of Neil Jones and Gorka Marquez additionally rumoured to be leaving.
Meanwhile, the BBC is on the hunt for brand spanking new hosts after Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman stepped down, and experiences have acknowledged the future of It Takes Two hosts Fleur East and Janette Manrara can be uncertain.
However, regardless of the continued adjustments, which adopted Strictly’s disaster simply years in the past when Graziano Di Prima and Giovanni Pernice had been dropped from the skilled roster, Vito has hinted on the temper among the many dancers through the professionals’ tour.
Vito, who’s juggling his busy dancing schedule with a brand new marketing campaign for Domino’s, shared: “The Strictly family is always the best environment to be in, and since I’ve been here in the UK, I’ve always been surrounded by so much fun and so much enjoyment.
“Every year, I say, ‘Oh my god, this is the best year, I don’t know if they can do better next year,’ and then the next year they do better than the previous. So now I’ve given up on the idea of saying you can’t do better than this, because I know that they’re always finding a way to bring more sparkle, make it more enjoyable, more funny, more lovable.
“I love it, and I do think and feel that I’m lucky to be a part of this bubble. I’m very, very grateful.”
When probed on a doable return to Strictly this yr, Vito replied: “We don’t know yet.”
He added, “I personally don’t know yet. At the moment, I’m rehearsing for the pro tour, we’re going on tour with some of the professionals, and we’re doing the choreography.”
Alongside dancing, Vito has been partnering with Domino’s to have fun the launch of a brand new Italianos pizza vary, as he made canal-side deliveries by Little Venice in London and even performed an element in a single couple’s romantic proposal.
This follows his love for cooking, having appeared as a chef on This Morning segments, shared backstage movies, fed his Strictly co-stars, and received Celebrity MasterChef in 2024.
Teasing this all being a step in the direction of his personal cooking show, Vito hinted, “Never say never. In life, we can’t predict. Being a dancer, it teaches you so much about how our career dynamic, everything can always change.
“I’m the type of person who leaves not just one door open, but leaves all the doors, the windows, the balcony… I never say no to anything!”
His ardour for meals has additionally come by in his new memoir, Love, Vito: My Story of Food, Family and Finding Home.
Speaking of his new venture, Vito mentioned: “It’s a memoir of my life, since a young age and is about how food has changed my life, how my life has been guided through food. Of course, there’s lots of dancing, my family recipes in it, my journeys and trips around the world, and of course, food. Food is the main thing. I speak always about my biggest passion, which of course is dancing. But food is the love of my life and like my best friend, if food was a person, it would be my best friend.”
Vito Coppola companions with Domino’s as they set sail alongside West London’s canals, serving up Italian allure to have fun the launch of the brand new Italiano’s vary.
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One and iPlayer later this yr.
