Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola divided fans with their couple’s choice (Picture: PA)
Strictly Come Dancing viewers have noticed glaringly obvious similarities between Ellie Leach’s latest dance and one other routine.
The former Coronation Street actress, 22, and her Italian pro partner Vito Coppola, 31, took on two dances in the semi-final: a cha cha cha and the couple’s choice, the latter of which came with total free reign for the pair to do whatever they wanted.
Ellie and Vito – who are hot favourites with the public – received glowing praise for both of their routines and landed second on the leaderboard behind Layton Williams at the top.
However, their couple’s choice seemed familiar to audiences at home, who were quick to compare it to Molly Rainford and Carlos Gu’s show dance from last series.
Ellie’s routine was incredibly stylish, as she danced to a medley of Dua Lipa tunes.
Dressed in a bedazzled red jumpsuit and with her hair in a ponytail, the soap star looked fierce as she strutted around with a cane.
Viewers noted the similarities between their dance and one from 2022 (Picture: PA)
Ellie and Vito scored 38 for their dance to the Dua Lipa medley (Picture: PA)
Craig Revel Horwood perfectly described the dance as ‘feisty’ and they were given 38 points by the judges.
Noting the comparisons, viewers rushed to post side-by-side comparisons of Molly and Carlos’s 2022 routine, which saw them perform similar choreography, also with canes, to Kiss by Prince.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, a user named Poppy joined in the discourse that the lines between couple’s choice and show dance have become too blurred.
‘I just need the producers to tell me the difference between a couples choice and a show dance because they’ve really become the same thing’, she wrote. ‘Ellie’s reminded me so much of Molly’s show dance last year’.
Michelle Pryde replied: ‘Omg I thought I’d seen it before’.
Another user named Shirleigh penned: ‘Hmmmmmmm…Ellie and Vito’s CC felt strange?? Gave me Molly/Carlos Showdance vibes and I’m not sure on it.’
Others branded the dance a ‘copy and paste’ job, having initially mistook a video of Molly and Carlos’s routine doing the rounds for Ellie and Vito’s 2023 dance.
While many loved Ellie and Vito’s couple’s choice, the response from viewers was mixed.
Some suggested it was ‘ridiculous’ and ‘unfair’ to allow a couple’s choice in the semi-final.
Rob Davies wrote: ‘Why give Ellie couple’s choice when she’s such a technical dancer and could have shone with something else?’
The former Corrie star and her Italian pro are hot favourites to win this series (Picture: PA)
However, there was plenty of praise out there for the duo, who have been swarmed by romance rumours in recent weeks.
‘Absolutely loved Ellie and Vito couples choice showing how she’s grown in to this strong beautiful powerful women my girl NEEDS to be in the final and NEEDS to win this’, a user named Courtney wrote.
Strictly Come Dancing’s semi-final results air tomorrow on BBC One and iPlayer.
Viewers were quick to share comparisons.