Strictly Come Dancing winner Ellie Leach has said reality series Drama Queens will show the “stress and excitement” she has been feeling since she won the BBC One programme.
The new eight-episode reality series, focused around Manchester and the North West, follows the lives of a host of female actresses from across three of Britain’s biggest soap operas, Emmerdale, Coronation Street and Hollyoaks.
The programme, which launches on ITVBe next month, will show the aftermath of Leach’s Strictly win as she embarks on the series live tour.
The actress, 23, won the dance competition with her partner Vito Coppola in December, beating fellow celebrity contestants Bobby Brazier and Layton Williams.
Leach said: “It will be good to get an insight into our families, it’s not all glitz and glamour.
“I’ve just started a play which is completely out of my comfort zone.
“People will see the stress and excitement I’ve been feeling since finishing Strictly.”
Speaking about the BBC One dance show, she added: “I can’t believe I got the chance to be part of it.
“It opened my eyes to what is out there. It was completely out of my comfort zone.”
Asked whether her dance partner Coppola will be in the new show she added: “There are a few bits on tour. He is hilarious and he makes me laugh.
“I wouldn’t have been able to get through it without him.
“He was a great teacher, a great friend and dance partner. He helped change my life.”
Other stars of the show include Hollyoaks actresses Jorgie Porter, who lives with her young son Forest and fiance Ollie, and former EastEnders star Rita Simons.
Singer and Hollyoaks actress Jamelia will also feature in the line up which is completed by Emmerdale actresses Amy Walsh, Laura Norton and Roxy Shahidi and Coronation Street’s Brooke Vincent and Lucy Fallon.
Rebecca Kenny-Smith, director of programming (unscripted) for production company Lime Pictures said: “We’re thrilled to bring audiences a new kind of reality show that goes beyond the glitz and glamour, offering a genuine and raw portrayal of what it’s really like to be a soap star.”
Paul Mortimer, director of reality commissioning and acquisitions and controller, ITV2, ITVBe & CITV, said: “ITV are excited to bring a brand-new commission to viewers screens in 2024, which will showcase the real lives of some of the country’s best loved soap stars.
“This behind-the-scenes journey is bound to strengthen the bond between audiences and these beloved TV personalities, reigniting your love for them in a whole new way.”
Drama Queens will launch on ITVBe and ITVX on Wednesday April 10 at 9pm.