Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Vito Coppola was left emotional during a visit to a high street store when a member of staff offered him help. The Italian star, who joined the BBC dance show in 2022, shared the moment on his Instagram Story this week.
Emotional moment in Waterstones
Coppola, who won Strictly in 2023 with former Coronation Street actress Ellie Leach, visited a Waterstones shop and filmed himself heading to a shelf where his book, Love, Vito, was on display. He turned the camera on himself and could be seen puckering his bottom lip as he became emotional over the sight.
Captioning the post, he wrote: "I have seen for the first time my book exposed in Waterstones and I got emotional." He added: "And the lady came to check I was ok and offered me water. VERY GRATEFUL."
Book release and Strictly return
The book, announced in March, was released in August. At the time of the announcement, Coppola shared on social media: "Hello beautiful people. I am so excited to finally share the news with you all. My first book is coming in August! It’s called “Love, Vito” and is full of stories about my life through dancing and of course food!"
He continued: "I am getting emotional writing, because this is a project I have been working for a while and it’s a dream come true! As always I put all my love, heart and passion in everything I do and I really hope you will enjoy and love this book as much as I do."
Career and personal story
Coppola has been seen back on the dance floor following the return of Strictly for its 2026 series last month, paired with EastEnders star Lacey Turner, known for playing Stacey Slater. Before Strictly, he started dancing at the age of six and was an 11-time Italian Latin American Champion, a European Cup winner, and a 3-time World Championship finalist. In his book, he opens up about feeling he had 'disrespected' his family as he faced a serious health struggle during his competitive dance career.
