Viewers on Strictly Come Dancing were touched by a heartfelt moment between Vito Coppola and his dance partner Ellie Goldstein during their performance on icons week.

During the night, BBC viewers saw the contestants transform into legendary musicians, which saw Karen Carney emotional after her Rumba routine to a Celine Dion song.

The duo danced to a Spice Girls medley, with Ellie dressed as Baby Spice, her favourite member from the iconic girl band. After their salsa routine, they stood before the judges for feedback, and it was then that fans noticed Vito tenderly wiping away a tear from Ellie’s eye.

The emotional moment clearly moved viewers, who took to X to share their reactions. One user tweeted: “Vito checking on Ellie and dabbing away a tear. #Strictly #StrictlyComeDancing”, adding crying emoji faces to their post.

Fans were quick to support Vito after spotting the sweet moment(Image: BBC)

Another fan gushed: “Vito’s pride for Ellie is so sweet and endearing. #strictly #StrictlyComeDancing,” while a third praised Vito’s teaching skills: “Vito deserves a lot of praise with how he’s taught Ellie to dance.”

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The surprises didn’t stop there for Ellie, as she received a special on-screen message from Emma Bunton after their performance. The Spice Girls star expressed her delight at seeing Ellie dressed as her and revealed that Ellie was her favourite contestant.

For their routine, Vito and Ellie scored a total of 28 points. Motsi Mabuse awarded them an impressive eight, Shirley Ballas gave them a seven, Craig Revel Horwood scored them six, and Anton Du Beke also gave them a seven, reports the Mirror.

Meanwhile on the programme, Alex Kingston channelled Dolly Parton for a stunning performance with Johannes Radebe. The judges were absolutely delighted with the Foxtrot display.

Motsi commented: “This dancing is so tough, I tell you but you look like you’re floating on air. You did have a little hiccup, there, I saw it, I saw it. But you just kept it up!”

Following the performance, Alex confessed: “I spend half the week thinking I’m going to hate it, but then halfway through I realise that I love it!”

She also disclosed how Dolly herself had sent her a special message during the week.

Expressing gratitude to La Voix, who was dressed as Cher, she detailed how the Country legend had shared a heartwarming message with her. The pair secured an impressive score of 32.

La Voix was adamant to beat their low score from last week on Saturday night(Image: BBC)

Anton was the most bowled over of the four judges, awarding the duo a nine. Earlier in the programme, Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman also acknowledged their choice to depart Strictly Come Dancing at the series’ conclusion.

The presenting pair kept their remarks brief, though their feelings were evident.

Claudia remarked: “We want to thank you for your beautiful messages, we’ve got another eight weeks on this incredible show.”