Vito Coppola sent a heartfelt, supportive message to his former dance partner following their significant career achievement. Strictly Come Dancing enthusiasts will recall that the professional dancer was teamed up with Fleur East during his first year on the programme in 2022.
Vito, who joined the popular dance show alongside Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley and Michelle Tsiakkas, along with the singer, radio and TV personality, bagged the first perfect score of the series and subsequently made it to the grand finale.
Ultimately, they fell short of clinching the Glitterball trophy, finishing as runners-up behind victors Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przystał, as well as Helen Skelton and Gorka Márquez, and Molly Rainford and Carlos.
Since then, the duo have maintained a close friendship, with Fleur even securing a role co-hosting Strictly spin-off show, It Takes Two, alongside former Strictly pro Janette Manrara.
The pair continue to publicly express their affection and support for each other – and Vito was among the first to express his joy when Fleur announced she was about to make her theatre debut, portraying the legendary Tina Turner in the iconic singer’s eponymous musical.
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, which chronicles the American singer’s journey from her modest beginnings in Nutbush, Tennessee to her metamorphosis into a rock ‘n’ roll sensation, premiered in April 2018 at the Aldwych Theatre in London.
Fleur has joined the West End cast, sharing the iconic role of Turner with theatre star Karis Anderson.
She excitedly broke the news on The One Show in April, exclaiming: “I’m really excited to announce that I’ll be playing Tina in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical on the West End!”
Since then, Fleur been dazzling audiences and giving them a peek into her life via Instagram.
She posted a snapshot portraying herself as Tina and shared some candid moments spent with her husband and daughter, Nova, during breaks from her performances, captioning it: “Life in Nutbush and beyond…Grateful for it all.”
Her partner Vito showed his unwavering support by commenting on her 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!”