Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope and his long-term girlfriend, West End star Rachel Lopez, have split after eight years together. The couple, who had been in a relationship since before his appearance on Strictly Come Dancing, ended things over the summer.
Lewis, 31, was partnered with Katya Jones on the BBC dance show. The pair had previously shared glimpses of their relationship on social media, but fans became suspicious after they stopped posting romantic pictures of one another.
Relationship 'run its course'
"It seems that things really are over between Lewis and Rachel," a source said. "They had a great relationship, but some good things must come to an end. It will be a shock for their supporters, but they think the decision is for the best," they told The Sun.
Despite concerns surrounding the infamous Strictly curse, Lewis previously said that Rachel wasn't bothered about him being partnered with Katya. "Over the years I've had to kiss a lot of people on stage or onscreen, as an actor, so she's used to me kissing boys actually, but it hasn't been a problem," he said. He added: "Katya and Rachel have all met, it's never been a conversation between us."
Long list of Strictly splits
Lewis joins a long list of celebrities who have split from their long-term partner after appearing on the BBC dance programme as part of the so-called 'Strictly curse.'
Shortly after appearing on the show, singer Louise Redknapp split from her husband Jamie. Former Coronation Street actress Georgia May Foote and her partner, Sean Ward, also split after the final episode of the competition. Stacey Dooley and her partner, Sam Tucknott, split three months after she won. She later embarked on a relationship with professional dancer Kevin Clifton, although there was no crossover. Susanna Reid's relationship with Dominic Cotton also came crashing down after her 2013 appearance on the show.
The curse dates back to the first series. Viewers had wondered whether something was going on between professional star Brendan Cole and broadcaster Natasha Kaplinsky. Both have always said nothing happened between them, but that did not stop Brendan's engagement to fellow pro Camilla Dallerup from ending. In 2007, Matt Di Angelo and his partner, Flavia Cacace, started dating shortly after she split from her boyfriend of eight years, Vincent Simone, though they denied having an affair.
Only a week into his 2009 Strictly stint, Joe Calzaghe split from his girlfriend of five years. Soon after, he began dating his pro partner Kristina Rihanoff. They were together for four years, and the same year they split, Kristina found herself at the centre of another curse scandal. In 2013, rugby star Ben Cohen announced that he and his wife of 11 years were splitting. He denied that he had started dating Kristina, with whom he had been paired on Strictly, but the two later began seeing each other and now have a child together. Rachel Riley also split from her husband whilst on the show and less than a year later, announced she was dating pro partner Pasha Kovalev. She has, however, said that there was no overlap between the relationships.
The most infamous example came in 2018, when Katya Jones and Seann Walsh were spotted kissing during a night out. The incident made national news, and the two ultimately had to apologise live on It Takes Two.
A spokesperson for Lewis declined to comment. Rachel's representatives were approached.
