STRICTLY Come Dancing pals Shirley Ballas and Vito Coppola are waltzing all the way to the bank after their joint dance venture raked in a hefty profit.
The pair teamed up last year to launch Dance With Us, offering fans the chance to learn from two of the biggest names in ballroom for £100 a pop.
Strictly stars Shirley and Vito have come under fire for their money-spinning business Credit: Instagram/ @dancewithusclasses
Shirley is facing favouritism accusations after raking in cash with Vito outside of the show Credit: Instagram/ @dancewithusclasses
Punters who signed up got a dance lesson and a meet-and-greet with the telly favourites — giving them the chance to get up close and personal with the stars.
Now, annual accounts for their Dance With Us Ltd firm show the company retained £83,000 in cash from the venture — an impressive first-year return after covering the costs of getting the business off the ground.
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The sessions saw Shirley and Vito put wannabe dancers through their paces in cities including Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow.
The classes promised a “fun and accessible dance experience for all ages and skill levels – even if you’ve never danced before!”.
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The star has been criticised in the past for her favouritism and critiques Credit: BBC
Insiders have now confessed the rest of the cast are unhappy as Shirley could ‘favour’ Vito on the next run Credit: BBC/Ray Burmiston
And with Shirley’s decades of experience and Vito’s international pedigree, punters were certainly getting plenty of dance know-how for their money.
But insiders tell The Jattvibe it’s not gone down well backstage at the BBC show, with whispers of ‘favouritism’ by judge Shirley.
“It’s ridiculous that Shirley is even in business with Vito – how can she be an impartial judge if she relies on Vito for her money-spinning business?” says one insider.
“If it comes down to a choice between Vito and another dancer going home, she’s hardly going to choose her business partner, is she? She’ll keep him on TV for another week to boost business.
“Everyone’s worried this new attempt at cashing in on their show fame will put dancers who aren’t in business with show judges at a disadvantage.
“Nobody can believe the BBC have allowed it.”
Representatives for the show, Shirley and Vito all said “no comment” when approached by The Jattvibe.
Shirley, 65, is one of the world’s most decorated Latin dancers and is known as the Queen of Latin. She is a three-time British Open to the World Latin American champion and a 10-time US Latin American champion. She has also been head judge on Strictly since 2017.
Meanwhile, 33-year-old Vito joined Strictly’s professional line-up in 2022 after making his name as an 11-time Italian Latin American champion, European Cup winner and three-time World Championship finalist.
He had already won Italy’s version of Strictly, Ballando con le Stelle, with singer Arisa in 2021 before crossing the Channel.
Vito went on to lift the Glitterball with Ellie Leach in 2023, having reached the final with Fleur East during his debut series.
The duo has worked together on Strictly since 2022 — when Vito joined the series — and it was clear Shirley quickly formed a close bond with the younger dancer as they announced their joint classes.
Their friendship has also sparked plenty of chatter over the years, with some outlets commenting on the apparent chemistry between the pair.
A source previously told Closer magazine: “The chemistry between them is off the charts and they’ve been spending more and more time together.
“The dancers are all talking about it – they’ve noticed Shirley and Vito hanging out together and laughing behind the scenes.”
This is also not the first time that Shirley has been accused of favouritism on the programme.
Fans of the show have routinely complained before over the star’s treatment and critique of some of those on the programme as well as accusing her of picking favourites throughout a series’ run.
She was previously accused of ‘favouriting’ Pete Wicks in 2024 after saying she’d ignore some of his errors during a routine as she liked one of his “hip movements”.
As a result, some people started a petition calling for Shirley to be sacked from her role.
A decision was later made for the casting vote to be spread across all the judges after Shirley repeatedly faced criticism.
The Jattvibe previously revealed how the decision had been taken to “spread the hate” amongst the panel after Shirley found herself being cruelly trolled over her decisions week-on-week.
She has been accused of sexism, racism and even had death threats — and almost quit in 2022 over concerns for her mental health.
