Ellie Leach, the 23-year-old former Coronation Street star who won Strictly Come Dancing last year with partner Vito Coppola, has spoken out for the first time amid the ongoing scandal surrounding the show. In a five-word response, she declared: 'Strictly has changed my life.'
Speaking to the Yorkshire Post to promote her theatre show Cluedo 2, Leach emphasised the positive impact the programme had on her. 'When I say that, I think that people are a little bit shocked as they think it is ‘just’ a dance competition, where it's completely not like that,' she said. 'It made me really, really learn a lot about myself and kind of change the way that I think about things.'
The actress, who became the youngest ever champion of the BBC One show, credited Strictly with giving her the confidence to take on new challenges. 'I think I genuinely do think that without Strictly I wouldn't have said yes to maybe even doing Cluedo,' she added. 'I feel like before I was kind of like a ‘no’ person, because I was scared of what's going to happen, whereas now I'm like, ‘Just say yes’.'
Leach's comments come as Strictly faces a series of misconduct allegations against its professional dancers. An internal investigation has been launched following complaints from former contestants, including Amanda Abbington, who accused Giovanni Pernice of 'bullying and aggressive' behaviour. Pernice has denied claims of 'threatening and abusive behaviour'. Meanwhile, axed pro Graziano Di Prima has apologised for kicking his former dance partner Zara McDermott during rehearsals.
BBC director general Tim Davie has apologised to celebrities whose experience on the show 'hasn't been wholly positive', saying he was 'disappointed' to hear their complaints. Despite the turmoil, Leach remains unequivocally supportive of the programme that launched her stage career.
