Vito Coppola Reveals His 'Strictly' Co-Star Katya Jones Left Him With A Serious Injury, 'Good Crack'

Vito Coppola is a well-known Italian dancer and choreographer. He is best known for his stint on Strictly Come Dancing. Vito joined the show as a professional dancer during the 20th series in 2022 and became the runner-up. Although post his return in series 21, Vito went on to win the whole show. Well, recently, he opened up about how, although the pro dancers on Strictly Come Dancing usually appear polished and elegant on our screens, that is not always the case, as sometimes situations can turn a bit 'dangerous' too.  

Vito Coppola reveals that dancing with Katya Jones left him injured 

During a recent Q&A session on his YouTube channel, Vito Coppola opened up about some of his favourite dancers on the show, Strictly Come Dancing. According to him, among the celebrity contestants who have appeared on the show, he was most impressed by the fluidity of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's hip movements while performing the Cha-cha-cha. He also shared that he is a huge fan of YouTuber, George Clarke, who often livened up the mood by playing pranks on the cast during the Strictly tour into 2026. 

Following this, the Celebrity MasterChef winner went on to praise Karen Hauer. Vito revealed that he calls the 43-year-old Venezuelan-American dancer 'Mamacita.’ He also confessed that dancing with her is always “amazing.” Well, for those unaware, Karen recently announced that she is leaving Strictly Come Dancing. She took to her Instagram to post a video on March 21, 2026, to reveal the same. Karen was reportedly the longest-serving female dancer on the show and her announcement officially put an end to her 14-year stint.  

Vito actually saved the most compliments for the Russian-born dancer, Katya Jones. He opened up about how, since both of them have really energetic personalities, their combination can be pretty risky. This is evidenced by the fact that Vito is left with an injury that he struggles with to this day. In his words: 

“I love Katya. She's full on… we have the same energy level. That’s good on one side, on the other side, it can be quite dangerous. My jaw still clicks here because I got a beautiful, amazing, very powerful Katya elbow in my jaw on my first year. I had like a good crack. It took me a few days to get back to normal and chew. But so, thank you, Katya, I have now a gift forever!” 

More about Vito Coppola and his Strictly Come Dancing journey  

It was in July 2022 that Vito was announced as one of the professional dancers joining Strictly Come Dancing's 20th series. He was seen alongside others like Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley, and Michelle Tsiakkas. For his first series, Vito was paired with singer-songwriter and presenter, Fleur East. Together, they finished as runners-up behind Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przystal, alongside four others. Vito returned for the 21st series and was paired with former Coronation Street actress, Ellie Leach, with whom he reportedly won the series. During series 22, Vito was paired with Sarah Hadland, and together they once again finished in the position of runner-up. 

In 2025, Vito Coppola returned for his fourth series on the hit show, series 23, where he was paired with model and actress, Ellie Goldstein. Sadly, just when viewers were warming up to the duo, their journey came to an end following the show's annual Halloween special. However, it is worth noting that Vito and Ellie's partnership did not end there. According to reports, the duo were recently spotted wrapping up a countryside tour. Well, the tour in question is the 30-date Strictly Come Dancing Live 2026 Tour, where Vito and Ellie were also seen alongside several of their colleagues from Strictly.  

What are your thoughts on Vito Coppola revealing that he is left with a permanent injury after dancing with Katya Jones on Strictly Come Dancing? Let us know.  

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