Vito Coppola has admitted he’s “extremely protective” of Ellie Goldstein, speaking openly about the care and affection he feels for his Strictly Come Dancing partner.
Fans have already hailed the pair as a “perfect partnership” following the reveal of this year’s Strictly 2025 line-up during the launch show last month.
During the first live show, the duo performed together for the first time, impressing with a sassy cha-cha to Ariana Grande’s Yes, And?, earning 17 out of 40 points from the judges.
By the second week, model and actor Ellie, who is the first contestant with Down’s syndrome to compete on the main series, and Vito had upped their score. Their butterfly-themed waltz to Ellie Goulding’s version of Elton John’s Your Song wowed judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas, and Anton Du Beke, earning 23 points.
Ellie and Vito successfully advanced to week three, which coincides with the show’s Movie Week special, continuing to impress both judges and fans alike.
The duo have been back in training ahead of their next Strictly Come Dancing live show on Saturday, October 11, but a few days beforehand, Vito Coppola took to Instagram to share a heartfelt message about how protective he is of Ellie Goldstein.
In the post, Vito transformed into a tiger and shared clips of Ellie modelling alongside a tiger, which he said symbolized him. Accompanying the video, the Italian star wrote:
“POV: when people ask how protective I am with my little sister. The answer is: ‘more than you can even imagine!’ I am extremely protective towards people I care and love the most, and Ellie is definitely part of it! My priority in life is always to make people happy. This makes me happy; for me, this is happiness!”
Ellie, 23, was quick to respond in the comments: “This is the cutest post I’ve ever seen.” Their Strictly co-stars also joined in, with Karen Hauer commenting: “Love love love,” and Michelle Tsiakkas adding: “Love this.”
Fans were quick to respond to Vito Coppola’s heartfelt post, flooding the comments with praise.
One fan, @allyans58, wrote: “This is why we love you and this post is brilliant.” @helenelliott273 added: “Amazing person you are, Vito. You should be extremely proud of yourself, keep being you and keep shining.”
Other fans echoed the sentiment, with @sue.deakin.18 saying: “Oh @vitocoppola this is exactly why we love you so much! You really are the purest soul.” @ms_may3 commented: “Love this. You are an incredible human, Vito.” Meanwhile, @kathleenoneill622 added: “Everyone needs a big brother like Vito, Ellie. You’re very lucky.”
The outpouring of support highlights just how much fans adore the Strictly duo and their bond.