Lewis, a former student at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, has recently opened up about his large family and his hero mum.
Lewis Cope is having quite the December.(Image: Guy Levy/BBC/PA)
Lewis Cope is having quite the December. Drafted last minute into BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing after Game of Thrones star Kristian Nairn bowed out for medical reasons, the former Emmerdale actor was partnered with Katya Jones and zipped straight into the ballroom with the enthusiasm of a man who has survived growing up with 13 siblings.
Hailing from County Durham, the former hip-hop dancer turned actor featured on our screens as Nicky Miligan in the ITV soap Emmerdale from 2022 until 2024. Before that, he moved through modelling and musicals, and now has a coveted stint on Strictly.
Lewis, a former student at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, has recently opened up to The Times about his large family and his hero mum.
He told the publication that rowing up his eight-bedroom house was a “constant circle of moving feet, of laughter and mischievousness and the energy of 14 kids.”
Gushing about his beloved, single mum, the Strictly star said, “dealing with 14 sets of needs, I don’t know how the hell she did it on her own”.
Praising his mum, Bee’s never wavering support, Lewis described how when he was just 11, Bee ferryed him to Newcastle several nights a week for an entire year of training for a part in the stage musical Billy Elliot, where he eventually won the part of Michael, Billy Elliot’s gay best friend, so he moved down to London aged 13.
Strictly’s Lewis Cope’s and his girlfriend, Rachel Lopez(Image: Lewis Cope Instagram)
Lewis has seen his career go from strength to strength since Billy Elliot, with his family now taking turns to go and see him compete at Strictly’s hub, Elstree Film and Television Studios in Borehamwood.
Along with a loving family, he also has rock-solid support from his long-term girlfriend, Rachel Maya Lopez, a professional Pilates instructor and actress from Ireland.
The adorable pair have been together for about 9 years, and Rachel has been posting messages of support for her dancing beau on Instagram.
On the night of the Strictly launch, she posted family photos of the two of them, friends and relatives showing how much of a close-knit cheering squad he’s got away from the stage.
Lewis Cope’s Strictly stint has already had more plot twists than a Christmas special. The Emmerdale alum arrived in the line-up at the last minute after Kristian Nairn withdrew for medical reasons and has thrown himself into the routines ever since.
This week’s high-octane Musicals Week then saw him and Katya Jones tackle a salsa to Dance At The Gym from West Side Story, during the quarter-final of the BBC One dance contest on Saturday night (December 6).
Strictly Come Dancing’s Lewis Cope and Katya Jones (Image: Katya Jones Instagram)
While the competition was fierce, it was Musicals Week in the ballroom, meaning the five remaining couples were giving their performances their all while trying to have some fun before the series comes to its grand finale on December 20. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter
Five high-tempo minutes later, the judges delivered a mixed batch of comments. Cope apologised to Katya before the critiques kicked in, but the pair still landed 35 points and finished joint second on the leaderboard.
Judge Shirley Ballas told Lewis, “It wasn’t your best dance, for me, by far,” and Craig Revel Horwood agreed, saying, “We have seen you dance better.” But Anton Du Beke disagreed and said he had an “incredible physicality” and added: “All in all… I rather liked it.”
A strong support section surely softened the backstage nerves. Cope received a message from his girlfriend, Rachel, after the routine.
Commented on a clip of his latest performance: “I am so beyond proud of you. Your strength is like nothing I have ever see. So beautiful inside and out.”
Strictly Come Dancing’s Lewis Cope and Katya Jones(Image: BBC)
The couple, together for around nine years, often shares glimpses of their life on Instagram. Rachel posted family shots from the launch show, where she, Cope, and their closest pals watched his Strictly debut, with Katya also in the room. She later shared a video of the pair embracing after recording and captioned another post calling him Sweet Lew.
Lewis has also acknowledged Rachel’s help during his Emmerdale run. He played Nicky Miligan from 2022 to 2024 and said that when he had a heavy day of lines, she would help him get through them.
Strictly has been moving fast, and Cope says the last-minute call-up has worked for him. He described the timing as helpful and said the excitement of being thrown into the series made him enjoy it more.
With the final looming on December 20, his Strictly story is still unfolding, and his cheer squad of siblings, his mum, and Rachel will surely be watching every spin.
The wildly popular but scandal-plagued show has a knack for taking lesser-known celebrities and launching their careers into the stratosphere, and Lewis Cope could soon be heading for a career high. Watch this space.
