Ellie Leach has spoken about her decision to leave Coronation Street, being accepted for Strictly Come Dancing and he relationship with Strictly co-star Bobby Brazier, but refused to comment on whether their friendship had turned romantic.

Ellie had starred on the ITV soap for 12 years before leaving, which was a decision out of her hands, and left wondering where her future path would lead. With the actress not having any plans, she was elated when Strictly came knocking and the show has changed her life.

The offer came a fortnight after she had left the cobbles, where she had played Faye Windass since she was a child, and she ended up winning the Glitterball Trophy alongside professional dancer Vito Coppola and meeting EastEnders star Bobby Brazier, who she grew close to as they embarked on the Strictly tour together. There have been rumours of romance but Ellie has, so far, refused to comment about their relationship.

The 23-year-old told The Sun : “I went from leaving Corrie and being so emotional and putting pressure on myself to figure out what I wanted to do in life, to hearing from Strictly – the biggest show on telly. It was surreal. I was like: ‘Strictly want to see me?’ I just couldn’t believe it. I’m a big believer in everything happening for a reason, and this came along and the timing aligned and it was all perfect. And it has absolutely changed my life.”

Ellie said that she and Bobby, 20, gravitated towards each other on Strictly because they were the two youngest on the show. While refusing to comment on any romance, Ellie did say: “We’d obviously built an amazing friendship during the show, but it was really nice to be able to spend time with each other – and with everyone – on the tour.”