BBC Strictly Come Dancing viewers confused by parting words to Ellie Leach during final

Strictly Come Dancing viewers were left confused by one judge's parting words to Ellie Leach. The former Coronation Street star made it to the end of the BBC One dance contest on Saturday night (December 16) with pro dance partner Vito Coppola.

Ellie, 22, and Vito, 31, kicked off the last week of the competition following a spectacular opening number from the show's group of professional dancers.

They were awarded 39 points from the judges after they performed her first dance during the Strictly 2023 final which was their dramatic paso doble to Insomnia by 2WEI, as chosen for them by the judges.

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After their performance, head judge Shirley Ballas said: "You, my dear, are the only lady standing and let me tell you, you came down those stairs, you worked that dress, the whole ensemble… was spot on."

She added: "I have to say, that was a woman in control," while Anton Du Beke remarked: "I love this," and Craig Revel Horwood added: "It was absolutely fantastic."

Later, Ellie and Vito returned to the ballroom for their second performance out of three which was their show dance to a Jennifer Lopez megamix, which featured plenty of lifts and tricks but resulted in a small mishap towards the end of the routine.

Afterwards, Craig told Ellie: "It’s a terrible shame with the last lift because really that whole dance routine was just flawless up until that moment. That’s the sort of beauty of live television, I think, and proving that taking a risk can or can’t work out for you," before the couple were awarded 36 points from all four judges.

Then, they