The Strictly Come Dancing pulled in a peak viewership of 9.9million viewers during its live final on Saturday night – where Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola were victorious.

The finale the of much-loved ballroom and latin competition saw Ellie and Vito take on Layton Williams and Nikita Kumzin and Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell.

Viewers tuned in to see which dancing couple would lift the Glitterball trophy, with viewership rising compared to last year’s final which reached a peak of 9.7m.

While the peak rose slightly, the average ratings did drop from 9.2m in 2022, compared to 8.7m million during this year’s final, according to overnight ratings.

However the audience share of the time slot was huge, with an incredible 53.8 per cent choosing to watch Strictly over any other show on at the same time.

The Strictly Come Dancing pulled in a peak viewership of 9.9million viewers during its live final on Saturday night – where Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola were victorious

While the peak rose slightly, the average ratings did drop from 9.2m in 2022, compared to 8.7m million during this year’s final, according to overnight ratings

The figures have dropped in recent years, after 11million tuned in to watch EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis make history as the first deaf winner in 2021.

The episode peaked with 12.3million watching Rose become the champion along with her dance partner Giovanni Pernice.

This year the last episode of the series gained an impressive 2million viewers after an average of 6.6million viewers watched the launch show.

The peak audience was in excesses of 7.2million, putting it on par with 2022’s first night of competition.

However the average figure watched the couples take to the dance floor for the first time this weekend was a drop for the second year in a row, after the 2022 show was watched by 6.8M, and 7.9M tuned in to the long-running show 2021.

It comes after Ellie broke her silence on her Strictly win as she paid an emotional tribute to her rumoured boyfriend and dance partner Vito.

She became the show’s youngest ever winner as she pipped the other two celebs to the post after each couple performed three dances for the judges.

Speaking about what it was like to secure the glitterball trophy, the soap star said: ‘Words cannot describe how I am feeling right now and I cannot believe we have just won Strictly Come Dancing 2023.

The finale the of much-loved ballroom and latin competition saw Ellie and Vito take on Layton Williams and Nikita Kumzin and Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell

Viewers tuned in to see which dancing couple would lift the Glitterball trophy, with viewership rising compared to last year’s final which reached a peak of 9.7m

‘It’s been a life-changing opportunity and I’ve had the time of my life dancing with Vito every week.

‘It has been so special and to be able to do it with such a great teacher has made it an experience I will never forget.

‘Thank you so much for that, Vito, and thank you for finding the dancer in me. We couldn’t have won without the voting public, so a huge thank you to everyone at home who picked up the phone for us, we appreciate every single one of you!

‘Finally, a big congratulations to all the finalists and all the 2023 cast, who are incredible and came alongside this journey with me.’

Vito gushed: ‘This is unbelievable, thank you so much to everyone who voted for us, we love you and it means the world to us! Ellie, my Lulu, I am SO so proud of you. I have seen how hard you have worked, the dedication and determination you have shown and how much you have grown as a person these past 3 months.

‘We’ve had the best time dancing together, and I’ve enjoyed every second of it! Thank you for being the best dance partner and thank you to everyone who has supported us each week and voted for us!’

Ellie and Vito, who are rumoured to be an item, were both gobsmacked when their names were announced with the soap star’s family breaking down in tears as they watched from the studio audience.

The overwhelmed duo choked back tears as they embraced before speaking to hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman .

‘I actually, genuinely cannot believe this,’ a stunned Ellie muttered before exclaiming that this was the first time she had ever seen Vito, 31, cry.

Ellie and Vito were both gobsmacked when their names were announced with the soap star’s family breaking down in tears as they watched from the studio audience

‘This is for you!’ Ellie told her partner, who said the win was just the ‘cherry on the top’ before branding her a ‘diamond’.

They raised the glitterball trophy as pyrotechnics sparked and confetti fell from the ceiling as they were lifted onto the shoulders of their former competitors.

The pair had impressed throughout the final after performing a Pasa Doble, Show Dance and finally an American Smooth.

The final of the three bagged them full 40 marks with the judges gushing over the actress’ ‘growth’ and blossoming confidence during her time on the show.

The routine was branded ‘flawless’ and saw Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke all score it 10 points each.

Later speaking with co-host Claudia they struggled to contain their emotions with Vito saying: ‘For me, Ellie is Strictly’ before he wrapped his arms around her and said: ‘She is my winner anyway!’.

Their very steamy Pasa Doble opened the show as the sizzled in skimpy costumes earning an impressive 39 out of 40 points – as well as standing ovation.

Again the judges were full of praise as they revelled in the former soap star ’s improvement throughout the series.

Fellow finalists Bobby and Dianne (right) and Layton and Nikita (left) watched on as Ellie took the crown

But the evening was smooth sailing for the pair after their Show Dance proved a little less unsuccessful that saw the pair make few mistakes and a fail lift.

As Ellie tried to leap onto the Italian’s shoulders Ellie slipped, leaving him to save her before she hit the floor.

She looked upset at the mistake, with Vito putting his arms around her and repeatedly kissing her on the cheek in a bid to comfort her.

‘Do you know what’s amazing’ judge Shirley said of the tumble, ‘How how you saved it, you didn’t panic’.

As the couple then joined host Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly for the scores they were awarded 36 out of 40.

Earlier this month, it was claimed Ellie and Vito been seeing each other for over a month.

The pair have been under the spotlight after being accused of faking their romance in order to help win votes, but a source close to Ellie revealed they have been together for a few weeks.