Ellie and Vito have had a strong run all season, most recently scoring 36 for their Quickstep to Belle from Beauty and The Beast.
Asked how it feels to have made it this far in the competition, Ellie said: "We are so excited. I can’t believe that it’s the semi final. It feels like we’ve done like four or five dances. It doesn’t feel like we’ve done 11. It’s crazy.
"When I started Strictly I had no expectations of where I was going to end up. I didn’t think about making it to this point or to get to the final. All I wanted to do was have fun for as long as I could and embrace every moment. I didn’t really have expectations but I feel really grateful. I’m so happy."
Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola on Strictly Come Dancing. BBC
Former Strictly professional dancer Vincent Simone previously told RadioTimes.com that he thought Ellie and Vito would win the competition this year, saying: "I love Vito! Since he joined Strictly, I think he is the best professional male dancer without a shadow of a doubt.
"I really enjoy watching him from a professional point of view, and he's an amazing teacher with what he managed to achieve will Ellie – amazing! All I can say is, amazing and I think she should win. They should win!"
When asked on their thoughts about Vincent's comments, Vito said: "We are not thinking about that at all. We are not thinking about every week, we are thinking about every day. We are trying to give our best.
"We are so focused on the semi final because we say if we think too much in the future, we don’t live in the present, we don’t enjoy the moment. We are focusing on the two dances for the semi final. And we want to do that well."
The Strictly Come Dancing semi-final will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 7:35pm on Saturday 9th December. The results show will air on Sunday 10th December.
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James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
