Ellie Louise Leach (born 15 March 2001) is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Faye Windass on the ITV soap opera Coronation Street between 2011 and 2023. Following her exit from the soap, she won the twenty-first series of the BBC contest Strictly Come Dancing.
Ellie Leach | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ellie Louise Leach 15 March 2001 Manchester, Greater Manchester, England |
| Education | Fairfield High School for Girls |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Television | Coronation Street Strictly Come Dancing |
| Relatives | Brooke Vincent (cousin) |
Early life
editLeach was born in Manchester, Greater Manchester on 15 March 2001.[1] Leach attended Fairfield High School for Girls.[2][3][4] Leach is a cousin of Brooke Vincent, who played Sophie Webster in Coronation Street between 2004 and 2019.[5]
Career
editLeach began her television career appearing in television advertisements for Staples and McDonald's.[6] In 2009, Leach appeared in the film A Boy Called Dad.[7] In 2010, Leach appeared in an episode of Moving On as Stacy.[8]
In 2011, she was cast in the role of Faye Butler, a potential adoptive child for Anna (Debbie Rush) and Eddie Windass (Steve Huison) on the ITV soap opera Coronation Street.[9] In April 2023, it was confirmed that Leach would be leaving Coronation Street after 12 years in the role of Faye, with her departure scenes set to air in a "huge story" in July 2023. It was initially reported that Leach had chosen to leave Coronation Street but would not be killed-off, leaving the door open for the actress and the character to return in the future. However, Leach later confirmed the show's bosses had told her they could "see no future for the character" resulting in her role being axed.[10][11]
Following her exit from Coronation Street, Leach signed up to appear as a contestant on the twenty-first series of the BBC dance competition Strictly Come Dancing.[12] She was partnered with professional Vito Coppola and the pair went on to win the competition.[13][14] At age 22, she became the youngest celebrity to win the show, a record previously held by Olympic gymnast Louis Smith of series ten, who was 23 at the time.[15][16]
Strictly Come Dancing performances
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' scores | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Mabuse | Ballas | Du Beke | Total | |||
| 1 | Jive / "Can't Tame Her" | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 29 | No elimination |
| 2 | Foxtrot / "Perfect" | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 31 | Safe |
| 3 | Viennese waltz / "Waiting on a Miracle" | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 33 | Safe |
| 4 | Samba / "Copacabana" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 | Safe |
| 5 | Paso doble / "Insomnia" | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 37 | Safe |
| 6 | Salsa / "Murder on the Dancefloor" | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 38 | Safe |
| 7 | American Smooth / "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 39 | Safe |
| 8 | Rumba / "True Colors" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 | Safe |
| 9 | Charleston / "Love Machine" | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 39 | Safe |
| 10 | Argentine tango / "Bills, Bills, Bills" | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 38 | Safe |
| 11 | Quickstep / "Belle" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36 | No elimination |
| 12 | Cha-cha-cha / "Mambo Italiano" Street/Commercial / "Blow Your Mind" & "Physical" |
9 9 |
10 9 |
9 10 |
9 10 |
37 38 |
Safe |
| 13 | Paso doble / "Insomnia" Freestyle / Jennifer Lopez megamix American Smooth / "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" |
9 9 10 |
10 9 10 |
10 9 10 |
10 9 10 |
39 36 40 |
Winner |
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | A Boy Called Dad | Katie | Film role | [17] |
| 2010 | Moving On | Stacy | Episode: "I Am Darleen Fyles" | [18] |
| 2011–2023 | Coronation Street | Faye Windass | Series regular | [19] |
| 2012 | Coronation Street: A Christmas Corrie | Television short | [20] | |
| 2015 | The Sound of Music Live | Nun ensemble | Television film | [21] |
| 2023 | Strictly Come Dancing | Herself | Winner; series 21 | [22] |
| 2024 | Drama Queens | Herself | [23] |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2013 British Soap Awards | Best Young Performance | Coronation Street | Nominated | [24] |
| Inside Soap Awards | Best Young Actor | Nominated | [25] | ||
| 2014 | Inside Soap Awards | Best Young Actor | Nominated | [26] | |
| 2015 | 2015 British Soap Awards | Best Young Performance | Nominated | [27] | |
| Inside Soap Awards | Best Young Actor | Nominated | [28][29] |
References
edit- ^ Sansome, Jessica (16 March 2022). "Brooke Vincent gushes over ITV Coronation Street star cousin Ellie Leach with throwback snap on 21st birthday". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ "Fairfield High School Summer Festival". When You Wish Upon A Star. 2016. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ Greaney, Johnny (15 March 2016). "Thousands of youngsters take part in Greater Manchester Winter School Games – Pictures". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ Heffeman, Laura (6–12 January 2017). "You Ask...Ellie Leach (Faye_". Inside Soap. 2017 (Unknown): 40.
- ^ "Corrie star 'thrilled' by cousin's casting". Digital Spy. 10 January 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ "Laine News". Laine Management. 29 July 2010. Archived from the original on 17 January 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ "A Boy Called Dad – Film Review". Films de France. 2010. Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ "Moving On, I Am Darleen Fyles". BBC. 12 November 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ "Coronation Street star Brooke Vincent's younger cousin to join show". Mirror. 10 January 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ "Coronation Street star quits ITV soap after 12 years with final scenes airing in summer". Mirror. 1 April 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- ^ O'Hare, Mia (25 August 2023). "Corrie cast vow to get 'revenge' for 'unfairly axed' Ellie Leach". The Mirror. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ "Ellie Leach is the tenth celebrity contestant confirmed for Strictly Come Dancing 2023". BBC. 9 August 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ "Who is Ellie Leach? Meet the Strictly Come Dancing 2023 contestant and Corrie star". Radio Times. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ "Strictly Come Dancing 2023: Winner of glitterball trophy announced". BBC News. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ "Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola are just 'good friends' as they deny romance rumours". Yahoo News. 21 January 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ "Strictly Come Dancing: Louis Smith lifts the trophy". BBC News. 22 December 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ "Who is Ellie Leach? Strictly Come Dancing star tipped for win with Vito Coppola in BBC final". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ "Ellie Leach filmography". Plex.tv. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ "Coronation Street confirms Faye Windass' exit storyline". Digital Spy. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ "Faye Windass". ITV. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ "Ellie Leach". Amazon. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ "Strictly Come Dancing final live: Ellie and Vito announced as winners of the 2023 show". The Independent. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ "ITV confirms new spinoff series with stars of Coronation Street and Emmerdale". The Northern Echo. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "British Soap Awards 2013 – winners in full". Digital Spy. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ "Inside Soap Awards 2013 – winners list in full". Digital Spy. 21 October 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
- ^ Dainty, Sophie (29 July 2014). "Inside Soap Awards 2014 longlist revealed". Digital Spy. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
- ^ "Who won at British Soap Awards 2015? See winners list in full". Digital Spy. 16 May 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ^ "Inside Soap Awards 2015 longlist revealed: Who's in line for Best Actor, Actress and Newcomer?". Digital Spy. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ^ "EastEnders and Emmerdale lead 'final four' shortliststs for the Inside Soap Awards 2015". Digital Spy. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
External links
edit- Ellie Leach at IMDb