Strictly Come Dancing professional Vito Coppola issued a message of support to his former celebrity partner Sarah Hadland.
Strictly Come Dancing’s Vito Coppola has delivered a touching accolade to fellow contestant Sarah Hadland as he recovers from an injury. The pair wowed audiences and judges alike, reaching the grand finale of Britain’s beloved BBC show.
The dynamic duo is slated to light up the stage once more during the live tour which kicked off in Birmingham on Friday. Unfortunately, Vito has had to take a step back from the initial performances due to an unexpected injury.
Speaking on This Morning, the Italian dance maestro shared his current predicament: “I have a little injury. We are used to having a little bit of pain in the body, but I’m battling some lower back pain at the moment.”
Nikita Kuzmin, a fellow Strictly pro, has gracefully stepped into Vito’s dancing shoes for the beginning dates of the tour. Sarah Hadland didn’t miss the chance to post pictures with her temporary dance partner just before their debut at the Utilita Arena.
Her enthusiastic caption read: “IT’S ONLY THE FIRST NIGHT OF THE TOUR @strictlycomedancinglive dancing with @nikita__kuzmin while my @vitocoppola recovers. Thank you @nikita__kuzmin for taking care of me @vitocoppola I miss you and [heart emoji] you.”, reports the Liverpool Echo.
In a heartfelt response, Vito chimed in on the comments to cheer on his friends, expressing: “Guuuuuuuuysssss omg you look both so fresh. The best of luck. Have the best first show. Love youuuuuuuu.”
Sarah’s debut on the tour was a triumph as she scooped the glitterball with Nikita on Friday night. Overjoyed, she exclaimed: “We only went and won! Best first night with @nikita__kuzmin @strictlycomedancinglive in @utilitaarenabirmingham thank you for an amazing first night – we love you Birmingham.”
Despite narrowly missing out on the glitterball during the latest season of Strictly Come Dancing, where Chris McCausland emerged victorious alongside Dianne Buswell, Sarah harboured dreams of tour glory.
With Chris unable to join the tour due to his stand-up schedule, Sarah shared her aspirations in a pre-tour interview: “If I could just get my hands on it, that would be amazing. I had such a great time on the show. I’d danced in musical theatre before but I tend to throw myself about, whereas with Latin and ballroom it’s all about the detail. I’ve got a whole new appreciation for it now.”
Vito Coppola is thrilled for Sarah’s chance to shine on the tour and eagerly anticipates their return to the stage. Reflecting on Sarah’s progress, he remarked: “At the beginning of the week Sarah was like ‘I’m not going to do that’, then she’d go home, sleep on it and the next day she could do it.”
He’s kept the details of the arena tour under wraps from Sarah to maintain the element of surprise, noting: “I haven’t told her too much about the arena tour because I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but the reaction from the crowd is incredible. Doing Strictly on TV is the cake and the tour is the icing on top of it.”
