Ellie Leach and Reagan Pettman split in 2023 (Image: Instagram/Ellie Leach)
faced double heartache when she discovered her boyfriend had cheated on her, not long after she was told about her exit.
The actress, 23, is best known for portraying Faye Windass on the soap from 2011 until 2023. Upon learning she was being axed from the soap, Ellie admitted she was “scared” about her future.
Just one month before her final scenes aired, Ellie split with her partner of five years. After keeping it a secret for months, Reagan Pettman owned up to kissing another girl during a night out in November 2022.
He tried to dismiss the occurrence at first but then resolved to “come clean”, convinced that Ellie “deserved to know out of respect”.
“I was thinking I could speak to her and we could work it out,” Reagan told earlier this year. “I was prepared for what happened and then she decided that was it, the trust had gone.”
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Ellie cried as she spoke about Reagan’s infidelity (Image: ITV)
Embarking on a drink-fuelled outing in Preston, Reagan admitted to kissing another woman before feeling “horrible” about betraying Ellie.
He continued: “My friends knew how I felt straightaway so they were like, ‘Let’s just go’. They knew they didn’t have to say anything to me because I already knew.”
However, even after four months, Reagan hadn’t disclosed his infidelity to Ellie.
“I think it hurt her more because that was when she left as well so it was all at once for her,” he remarked, shedding light on the timing of his confession.
Ellie broke down in tears as she spoke about her cheating ex during an appearance on ITV’s Drama Queens in April.
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Ellie was crowned winner of Strictly in 2023 (Image: BBC)
Sitting down with her mum, Ellie recalled the moment she was told Reagan had done an interview.
“It was just a shock. It was a shock. I was like… what? It’s weird because,” Ellie said before bursting into tears.
The former soap star added: “That article in particular kind of felt like all your dirty laundry is just like available for everyone to see. It’s no reflection of who you are but it still feels embarrassing. It still feels like you’ve done something wrong when you haven’t.”
Of Reagan’s infidelity, Ellie told her mum: “I can truly truly say that I gave someone everything. And if that’s not enough then, it’s not enough. But I’m sure it’ll be enough for somebody else.”
Just a few months later, Ellie signed up to and was crowned champion of the competition alongside Vito Coppola.