Bleary-eyed Strictly stars pictured escaping boozy BBC afterparty at 4am

Strictly Come Dancing is over for another year – and the celebs and the judges certainly finished the series with a bang.

Last night saw former Coronation Street star Ellie Leach and pro partner Vito Coppola take home the famous Glitterball – and 22-year-old Ellie, who made history as Strictly’s youngest ever winner, wasn’t letting it out of her sight at the wrap party.

She was among the Strictly stars pictured looking a bit bleary-eyed as she caught a taxi clutching her trophy following a night of raucous partying to celebrate her win. Rumoured boyfriend Vito was nowhere to be seen as Ellie went home with friends and family so fans will have to wait a bit longer to find out if love blossomed on the dance floor now the BBC show is over.

Other stars looking a bit worse for wear included EastEnders’ actor Bobby Brazier. The 20-year-old, who is the son of TV presenter Jeff Brazier and the late Jade Goody, was papped leaving the party with younger brother Freddie, 19. But the pair had a close call when their taxi driver accidentally went the wrong way round a roundabout and had to reverse, nearly crashing into ongoing cars.

Other runner-up, Bad Education and West End star Layton Williams, covered his face with his hand as he left the after party, which is said to have gone on until almost 4am.

Former Love Island star turned BBC documentary maker Zara McDermott, who was partnered with Graziano Di Prima on this year’s show, looked like she was ready for bed as she was snapped being driven home. While boyfriend Sam Thompson, who has just won I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here, didn’t look to have got an invite.

And it wasn’t just the contestants who were spotted letting their hair down. Strictly host Tess Daly, wearing a glittery top for the occasion, looked slightly sozzled as she left the party – and was spotted with a TK Maxx bag in the back of her cab.

Judge Craig Revel Horwood seemed in high spirits as he left the wrap party giving a thumbs up to the cameras. Unusually for him, the 58-year-old dressed down in a Nike tracksuit top – a far cry from the immaculate suits he wears on the Strictly panel.

Fellow judge Motsi Mabuse looked like she was moving house she had so many bags as she left the party with a trolley full of outfits she had worn on the show. Wearing a floor-length black shiny puffer coat fur hood, the South African dancer smiled at the camera as she struggled with all her stuff.

But it was Head Judge Shirley Ballas who looked to have had the best time of all – as the 63-year-old, who swapped her glam outfit for a white shirt and blue jumper for the journey home, flashed a huge smile and two peace signs as she ended the night on a high.

Earlier on in the evening, Strictly winner Ellie was lost for words as her name was announced. She said: “I actually, genuinely cannot believe this.” A sobbing Vito said: “Don’t talk to me” as an amused Ellie hit back: “This is the first time I have seen him cry, for once you’re crying more than me so this is for you, this is for you.”

Vito added: “I mean this is the cherry on the cake… the point of the iceberg, you have been so amazing, you are Strictly, you represent Strictly. You are the diamond shining… you are amazing, I am so proud.”

Viewers raced to social media to praise the pair, glad they won. One fan commented: “I picked Ellie from the start. Well deserved winner.” Another said: “Definitely the right winner.” A third added: “Ellie and Vito strictly winners I’m so happy right now.” A fourth viewer wrote: “GET IN! The right winners by far,” as a fifth said: “So glad Ellie won.”

Ellie, who is known for her role as Faye Windass in Corrie, was congratulated by her former co-stars as she celebrated her historic win. Her cousin Brooke Vincent, who starred as Sophie Webster in the ITV soap, took to social media to celebrate her win with a sweet photo.

In the snap, Brooke, Ellie’s former Corrie co-star Colson Smith, better known as character Craig Tinker, and more friends wore matching masks of Ellie’s face as they posed for a group selfie.

“Come on Ellie,” she captioned the post. Fellow soap star Catherine Tyldesley took to her page to repost a Strictly video of Ellie and Vito’s incredible win. “Yessssss @ellielouiseleach and @vitocoppola!!! So deserved! Phenomenal,” she captioned the post for her 641,000 followers.

Although Ellie won the competition, there was a moment it could have ended in disaster. While performing their show dance during the final, Vito flipped Ellie up on his shoulders as part of a daring lift – but she faltered and fell, with Vito catching her milliseconds before she could smash her face on the floor.

The horrifying near-accident rattled Ellie’s confidence, and saw them gain their lowest scores of the night – but the viewing public overlooked the slip-up to crown them the 2023 champions.

Ellie’s win comes several months after it was reported her Coronation Street co-stars had vowed to get her to the final after she was ‘unfairly’ axed from the soap after playing troubled teen Faye Windass for over a decade.

“Everyone has vowed to do all they can to get Ellie to the final of Strictly as a “f*** you” to bosses. It was made clear to her earlier this year they didn’t see a future for her character so she was left with no choice. At the time she said she had quit but it was always seen as an axe. It caused major upset behind the scenes because co-stars felt she was treated really badly. So they want her to become a big BBC star and stick two fingers up to the powers that be, ” a source told The Sun.

Now it is predicted Ellie will be a millionaire by the time she is 24 following her Strictly win and raised profile since leaving Corrie. Brand and culture expert Nick Ede said she has “all the makings of a huge star on stage and screen”.

And if her romance with pro partner Vito is real, the pair could cash in as a high-profile couple. Nick added: “If she really is seeing Vito, then they could be the next hot couple, like Gorka and Gemma Atkinson, and I can see them doing lots of personal appearances and performances.”

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