Former Coronation Street star Ellie Leach said “dreams really do come true” as she was announced as the 10th celebrity contestant for Strictly Come Dancing.
The 22-year-old actress played Faye Windass in the ITV soap for 12 years before leaving earlier this year, with storylines for her character over the years including falling pregnant at 13 and then later reconnecting with the child she gave up for adoption.
She said of the Strictly news, which was announced on BBC Breakfast: “It still doesn’t feel real that I’m going to be doing Strictly!! It’s always been a dream of mine so I guess dreams really do come true!!!!”
✨ From Corrie's cobbles to the #Strictly ballroom, Ellie Leach is the tenth celebrity contestant joining the Strictly Come Dancing Class of 2023
"It’s always been a dream of mine so I guess dreams really do come true!"
Find out more ➡️ https://t.co/5B0LhsQWgm pic.twitter.com/f98yA5sibX
— BBC Press Office (@bbcpress) August 9, 2023
Leach said of joining the BBC show months after leaving Coronation Street: “Obviously it was really emotional, my last day, but I think the fact that I come out of Corrie and now I’m doing Strictly… I could never have imagined that this would have happened and I’m so, so grateful.
“I can’t wait to join the Strictly family, I’m so excited.”
Speaking of her dancing pedigree, Leach said: “I used to dance a little bit when I was younger, but it was tap, ballet, modern street dance. I’m not trained at all, and especially not in ballroom or Latin. I’m really excited to learn that new skill.
“I think that’s the most amazing thing about Strictly … being able to just be on the dancefloor every week. I’m always straight on the dancefloor – I love a good boogie, but I don’t know if my moves are good enough yet.
“I’m excited to kind of do something different, all the Latin dances, and ballroom as well, it’s so exciting.”
Leach said the “scariest part” of the show will be having her dancing critiqued by the judges, but added that she is grateful fellow soap star Adam Thomas is included in the line-up because he will be a “little piece of home”.
The Strictly line-up so far also includes BBC Asian Network’s Breakfast Show host Nikita Kanda, with actress Amanda Abbington, Bad Education star Layton Williams and broadcaster Angela Rippon also announced.
They will be joined on the dancefloor by journalist Krishnan Guru-Murthy, comedian Eddie Kadi, Irish TV presenter Angela Scanlon and former Love Island star Zara McDermott.
Presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman will be back to host the show when it returns to screens in the autumn.