Molly Rainford and Vito Coppola showed off their blossoming friendship as they enjoyed each other’s company ahead of Thursday’s Strictly Come Dancing live show.
TV presenter Molly, 22, who is paired with professional dancer Carlos Gu on the show, was seen holding hands with Vito, 30, who dances with singer Fleur East.
Former Britain’s Got Talent contestant Molly was seen giving a kiss near Vito’s cheek while at the hotel the cast are staying near Elstree film studios in Hertfordshire .
Good Pals: Molly Rainford, 22, and Vito Coppola, 30, showed off their blossoming friendship as they enjoyed each other’s company after the Strictly Come Dancing live show on Friday
The pair could be seen wearing black outfits as they walked alongside each other, Molly appearing to put her arm around Vito.
Molly and Vito are both single, but it’s been claimed singer Molly isn’t looking for romance at the moment.
An insider told The Sun: ‘Molly is a loving person and as she has said in several interviews she doesn’t have the time or the ability to date right now.
Blossoming friendship: TV presenter Molly, who is paired with professional dancer Carlos Gu on the show, was seen holding hands with Vito, who dances with singer Fleur East (Molly pictured with Vito)
Cosy: Former Britain’s Got Talent contestant Molly was seen scrunching up to blow a kiss near Vito’s cheek
Molly reached the Strictly semi-finals next week after competing in the dance against Kym Marsh, who was dropped from the show on Saturday.
On Friday’s live show, Kym came bottom of the leaderboard as she returned to the dance floor after being forced to miss last week’s show due to a positive Covid test.
Kym received rave reviews from the judges during Musicals Week but still ended up with lower marks than her peers, scoring 34 points – with two nines from Motsi and Shirley.
Staying close: Molly was seen with her arm around Vito at the hotel the cast are staying in near Elstree film studios in Hertfordshire
Keeping it casual: The pair could be seen wearing black outfits as they walked alongside each other, with Molly appearing to put her arm around Vito
And after the public vote, Kym and her professional partner Graziano Di Prima landed in the final two alongside Molly and performed the Cha Cha at the musical Fame in a bid to stay in the contest.
Molly and Carlos also spoke for a second performance of their Charleston at Hot Honey Rag from the musical Chicago.
However, the judges picked Molly and Carlos to advance to the semi-finals, after she came in second place with 38 points during Friday’s live show.
Related: Vito was seen holding hands with Molly as they enjoyed their night out together at the hotel bar this week
Just friends? Molly and Vito are both single, but it’s been claimed singer Molly isn’t looking for romance at the moment
Born to play: Vito dances with singer and radio host Fleur East (pictured) on Strictly, with the pair advancing to the semi-finals next week
After the two couples danced for the second time, Craig Revel Horwood delivered his verdict, sending Molly and Carlos to next week’s live show.
He said: “It’s always so difficult at this stage of the competition because both couples danced brilliantly, I don’t want to see any couple leave.”
“I’m really splitting hairs, but the couple I want to save, based solely on the best dance tonight for me, is Molly and Carlos.”
Competition: Molly found herself in the dance on Saturday after coming in the bottom two with her dance partner Carlos Gu (pictured)
Motsi Mabuse then gave Molly and Carlos another vote saying, “First of all I want to tell you both that you can be so proud of yourselves. You have both been great and amazing. I’m gonna base my decision on this dance and I’m gonna save Molly and Carlos.
But Anton Du Beke then saved Kym and Graziano, giving the deciding vote to Chief Justice Shirley Ballas.
Delivering his verdict, he said: “As you would expect at this point in the competition, the quality of the dancing was amazing, I thought both couples were dancing brilliantly, but I felt one couple elevated his playing with a freedom they don’t have on Friday nights, and because of that, I’m going to save Kym and Graziano.’
In the deciding vote, Chief Justice Shirley then decided to save Molly and Carlos, meaning it was Kym and Graziano who were sent packing.
She said: ‘Well, first of all, congratulations to both couples. Both couples danced exquisitely, it was a very difficult decision to make. But based on this dance and this dance alone, I’m going to save Molly and Carlos.
End of the road: Kym Marsh (centre) was consoled by host Tess Daly (left) after becoming the 10th star to be kicked out of the contest with dance partner Graziano Di Prima on Saturday
