Ellie Leach

Ellie Leach is an English actress and television personality, best known for playing Faye Windass on the ITV soap Coronation Street for over a decade and for winning the twenty-first series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2023. Since her Strictly victory, she has become a household name in the UK, with a growing social media following and new opportunities in television. Fans admire her for her down-to-earth personality and the way she balanced a long-running soap role with a triumphant reality competition run.[edit]

Ellie Louise Leach was born on March 15, 2001, in Bury, Greater Manchester, to parents Karen and Mark Leach. She grew up with a younger sister, Hollie. From a young age, Ellie showed an interest in performing, and her parents supported her ambitions. At just ten years old, she auditioned for the role of Faye Windass on Coronation Street, a part that had previously been played by a different child actor. She landed the role in 2011, marking her entry into professional acting. Her education was largely shaped by her work on the soap, with on-set tutoring allowing her to balance school and filming. The show became her primary focus throughout her teenage years, and she has spoken about how the cast and crew became like a second family. Before her big break, she had no other notable acting credits, making her casting on Coronation Street both her first job and her breakthrough.[edit]

Leach joined the cast of Coronation Street in 2011 as Faye Windass, a role she would play for twelve years. Over that time, she appeared in more than 800 episodes, tackling heavy storylines including teenage pregnancy, coercive control, and family secrets. Her performance earned her recognition as a key part of the soap's ensemble. In 2023, she made the decision to leave the show to pursue new challenges. That same year, she entered the twenty-first series of Strictly Come Dancing as a contestant, partnered with professional dancer Vito Coppola. Initially not considered a frontrunner, Leach surprised audiences with her rapid improvement, earning perfect scores from the judges for several dances. She and Coppola won the series in December 2023, beating out other finalists. The win significantly raised her profile, leading to media appearances, brand partnerships, and speculation about future acting roles. As of 2026, she is reportedly in talks for new television projects and continues to build her career beyond soap opera.[edit]

Ellie Leach is widely perceived as relatable, hardworking, and down-to-earth. Her public image was shaped by her long tenure on Coronation Street, where she played a troubled but sympathetic character. After winning Strictly Come Dancing, the media framed her as a dark horse who triumphed through perseverance. She maintains a friendly and approachable tone on social media, mixing personal updates with promotional content. Her fanbase includes longtime soap viewers and newer fans from the dance competition. While she does not have an official fandom name, her supporters often refer to themselves as fans of her work. Leach's style is casual and modern, and she has been featured in fashion segments for her red carpet appearances. She is generally seen as a positive role model for young women, particularly for her candidness about the challenges of growing up in the public eye.[edit]

Ellie Leach's fanbase, while enthusiastic, has never coalesced around a formal name. There is no documented equivalent of a 'Directioner' or 'BeyHive' for Leach; her supporters are generally referred to simply as 'Ellie Leach fans' or 'Ellie's fans' in media coverage. The closest organised community is the broader Strictly Come Dancing fandom, which rallied behind her and her professional partner Vito Coppola during their victorious 2023 season. Her following is substantial but not overwhelming, her Instagram account boasts roughly 410,000 followers, and it is decentralised, with activity spread across Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and fan forums such as the Strictly Come Dancing Wiki. There are no documented fan campaigns of the scale seen for pop stars, no organised charity drives, and no signature inside jokes. Instead, her fans have shown their support through organic means, most notably during the 2023 series, when public voting was decisive in her win. A defining feature of her recent relationship with fans has been her openness about personal health struggles; in July and August 2026, she shared her experience with cervical cell changes and subsequent surgery, drawing widespread praise and support.

As of the iFANN Global Fame Engine's August 2026 evaluation, Leach has been assessed but does not currently hold a placement in the published rankings, neither the Global Top 1,000 nor any Top-100 scope list. This reflects a profile that is well-known in the UK but not yet at the level of global top-tier fame. Her fame is nonetheless significant, driven by a decade-long role on Coronation Street and a triumphant Strictly win, which together have made her a recognisable figure in British popular culture.[edit]

Leach was the definitive portrayal of Faye Windass for most of the character's run, having taken over from a previous child actor. She has a younger sister named Hollie. Her victory on Strictly Come Dancing was notable because she was not an early favourite but steadily improved throughout the competition. She has expressed a love for dance and has said that the show helped her gain confidence. Leach is active on Instagram and Twitter, where she shares behind-the-scenes content and personal updates. She has a pet dog, though its name is not widely publicised. In interviews, she has mentioned that her favourite food is pizza and that she enjoys watching crime documentaries in her spare time.

One of the most retold stories from her career is her rise to fame on Coronation Street, where she joined the cast at age ten and grew up on screen over twelve years, becoming a household name to generations of British viewers. Her departure in 2023 marked the end of an era for the soap. Another iconic moment is her Strictly Come Dancing victory in December 2023, where she and partner Vito Coppola captured the Glitterball Trophy. The pair were described as favourites heading into the final, and their win was celebrated by fans and media alike. The intense public fascination with their relationship, and the subsequent romantic speculation involving EastEnders actor Bobby Brazier, became a cultural phenomenon in its own right, with fans closely following their every public appearance.[edit]

Ellie Leach was born to parents Karen and Mark Leach in Bury, Greater Manchester. She has a younger sister named Hollie. Her family has been supportive of her acting career from the start, with her mother often accompanying her to set during her early years on Coronation Street. Leach has described her family as close-knit and has shared occasional photos of them on social media. As of 2026, she is in a relationship with Reagan Allsopp, whom she began dating in 2020. The couple reportedly met through mutual friends and have kept their relationship relatively private, though Leach has posted about him on occasion. She does not have any children.[edit]

Ellie Leach is closely associated with Vito Coppola, her professional dance partner on Strictly Come Dancing, with whom she won the series. She also has strong ties to the cast of Coronation Street, including actors Sue Nicholls, William Roache, and Jack P. Shepherd, who were her on-screen family. Her relationship with Reagan Allsopp has been a topic of interest among fans.[edit]

Ellie Leach's most publicly known relationship is with Reagan Allsopp. The couple began dating in 2020 and reportedly met through mutual friends. They have kept their relationship relatively low-key, though Leach has occasionally shared photos on social media. As of 2026, they are still together. There are no other documented relationships in the public record.[edit]

iFANN currently estimates Ellie Leach's net worth at $1.2 million. Her primary source of income has been her long-running role on Coronation Street, where she earned a steady salary for over a decade. Long-serving cast members on major UK soaps typically earn between £100,000 and £200,000 per year, which would have provided her with substantial earnings. Her victory on Strictly Come Dancing in 2023 came with a prize and a boost in public profile, leading to endorsement deals and paid appearances. She has also earned money from social media partnerships, with her Instagram following of over 1.2 million allowing her to command fees for sponsored posts. As of 2026, she is exploring new acting opportunities and television projects, which are expected to add to her wealth. While exact figures are not publicly disclosed, her net worth reflects a combination of acting salaries, reality TV earnings, and brand collaborations.[edit]