Strictly Come Dancing professional Vito Coppola has opened up about his personal life, revealing his ambition to become a father and discussing the "three loves of his life" ahead of the new series.
The 33-year-old dancer is preparing to return to the BBC competition next month, aiming to secure the Glitterball Trophy alongside a celebrity partner once again. He first claimed the trophy in 2023 with Coronation Street actress Ellie Leach.
Dreams of fatherhood
Speaking on Alan Carr and Lee Peart's Bottoms Up! podcast, Vito disclosed his ambition to become a father eventually. "I would love to have three or five [children]," he told the presenters. "Or we could go to seven, it depends."
Clarifying his numerical preferences, the Italian professional revealed his longstanding affinity for odd numbers. "Yeah, I've always liked [them]," he continued, before noting that being in a trio on the podcast felt "perfect".
Three loves of his life
Vito stopped short of confirming whether he's currently in a relationship, though he did allude to the three things that matter most to him. Explaining the motivation behind his latest book, he said: "It started because, I wanted to share not just my story, but I just wanted to share my three loves of my life, food, my family and dancing."
"Basically when I am alone, away from home, when I'm abroad, since I was a kid [I've been] travelling, the only thing that has always been with me has been food," he added. "Imagine food as an entity, so food became my best friend, so don't just think of food as something you eat and you put in your body."
"If you think of food as something a bit deeper, food has been with me in my lowest moments," he continued, before revealing he considers himself an emotional eater.
Uncle duties
Should Vito eventually become a father, he appears to be gaining valuable experience through his co-star Dianne Buswell's baby. The professional dancer welcomed her first child, a son named Bowie, with partner Joe Sugg in March and has been regularly updating followers since.
Among her social media posts appears "Uncle Vito", who can be seen doting over her little one. Speaking previously about their close bond, Dianne revealed he was among the first people she informed about her pregnancy.
After the birth, he posted a photograph of himself gazing down at Bowie in his cot, accompanied by the caption: "Little Bowen [has] already stolen my heart."
