Yahoo News BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Ellie Leach says 'finally' after reflecting on 'difficult' time
Ellie Leach was left saying 'finally' as she headed off on a break with her family after months of touring the country in her debut stage role. The actress hasn't had much time to stop since winning Strictly Come Dancing last year.
Ellie and her dance partner Vito Coppola were crowned champions of the BBC One dance contest during the final of the 2023 series in December and looked stunned as they lifted the coveted Glitterball trophy following the closely-fought competition.
While she got a bit of a break over Christmas, Ellie was soon thrust back into the Strictly bubble as she reunited with Vito and a number of their co-stars from the last series as they performed in arenas up and down the UK in the Strictly Come Dancing Live 2024 tour.
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But following her success in the BBC One dance contest, Ellie landed her first stage role in the play Cluedo 2 - The Next Chapter. She took over the role from Helen Flanagan at the eleventh hour and hit the ground running following the end of the Strictly tour in February.
Ellie, 23, has since spent months performing on stages up and down the country as Miss Scarlett but she recently admitted it can be difficult being on the road, despite making a great group of friends who she's often seen venturing out and about with during breaks from being on stage.
Sharing a photo of herself to Instagram over the weekend as she enjoyed a soak in the bath, the former Coronation Street star shared: "It's our last two shows tomorrow before a weeks break! I'm loving doing this show and seeing different parts of the country, but touring is also difficult!
"Being away from home and family is hard and not being able to fully settle in places as you're not there for long enough, it sometimes makes me feel like I don't know where to place myself..."
But she added: "I'm lucky to have my cluedo friends around me to remind me that we're all touring together and we're not alone! Finding time to just light a candle and switch off is really important for me and I find it just really helps me re centre! Happy Friday everyone, have a fab weekend."
And now, Ellie has finally made it to sunnier climes. Taking to Instagram on Monday evening (June 10), the former soap star, who shot to fame playing Faye Windass for more than a decade in ITV's Corrie, shared a beautiful snap of her mum, Karen, sitting outside for a night-lit dinner. "On our holibobs finally," Ellie said.
Meanwhile, it also comes after Ellie was seen reflecting on what she described as the 'happiest time of her life'. Resharing a post in which she shared photos from the first bits of filming she did for Strictly after signing up to take part, the star said: "Just having a little scroll back through my Instagram. The happiest time of my life...
"I made this post just before the final not knowing what the outcome would be but just grateful to have had the journey we did. So much has happened in the past year but this will remain the most incredible."
