Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inbox We have more newsletters Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inbox We have more newsletters Strictly Come Dancing pro Vito Coppola has likened the show's cast to "a big family" amid controversy over allegations about the treatment of several contestants. The BBC One show is set to return this autumn following claims against Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima, which prompted an investigation. Vito, 31, who clinched victory last year with his celeb dance partner Ellie Leach, was quizzed by BBC News on whether he was taken aback by the allegations of his former professional dancers.
"Honestly, we are like a big family. And like a big family we support each other", he expressed. "We are like brother, and sister and cousin.
" He further added: "This year is going to be a beautiful year because it's the 20th anniversary of Strictly, and every year I say, 'Oh, this is the best year', and after the next year there is something even better, some people don't believe me", reports PA. He went on to say: "This year we are preparing magical and beautiful numbers with the pros." Speaking about the training, he added: "That's my favourite part, teaching.
Because when you teach you give a part of your knowledge, a part of your experience. "I'll tell you something, when I teach I feel even happier than when sometimes I do a performance. Because, when you see your studen.