BBC/ITV/Comp Emmerdale Insider Share By Carena Crawford Sep 27 2025 By Carena Crawford Sep 27 2025 Emmerdale star Lewis Cope on Strictly Come Dancing: David Beckham connection, dance history and actress girlfriend The Nicky Miligan actor is in with a chance of Strictly glory BBC Strictly Come Dancing 2025 Share By Carena Crawford Sep 27 2025 By Carena Crawford Sep 27 2025 Before winning over Emmerdale fans as Nicky Miligan, Lewis Cope had already built an impressively varied career. And one such job saw him become a dancer. Something that now puts him right in the mix to take home the glitterball trophy on Strictly Come Dancing. From modelling in a high-profile David Beckham campaign to showing off his moves in a TV hip hop troupe, the actor has now swapped the Dales for the dance floor as he prepares to take on the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom. Former Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope is taking part in Strictly this year (Credit: Brett Cove/SOPA Images/Shutterstock) Who is Lewis Cope – age, birth place, everything we know! Lewis Cope was born on March 19, 1995. This makes him 30 years old. He grew up in Hartlepool, County Durham, in a working class family. Lewis is from a huge family – he has 13 brothers and sisters and 13 nieces and nephews! Phew. He revealed to The Mirror last year: “I’m from a family of 14. Most of my brothers are boxers, but I chose to dance.” article continues below Read all the latest spoilers Despite coming from a background that is about as far away from showbiz as you can get, Lewis does not seem to regret following his passions. Dancer Lewis appeared on Got To Dance Lewis Cope found fame in London’s West End at just 11 years old when he was cast as Michael, Billy’s best friend, in Billy Elliot: The Musical. He moved to London for the role. A year later, young Lewis returned home to the North-East and later joined street dance group Ruff Diamond. They went on to become runners-up on Sky’s Got To Dance in 2013. He told Luxe: “Those were the moments that were eye opening for me, where I thought maybe this could be a career.” As part of Ruff Diamond, Lewis danced in front of Diversity’s Ashley Banjo, the Pussycat Doll’s Kimberly Wyatt, and JLS star Aston Merrygold. The group even appeared on Children in Need alongside the cast of EastEnders. They went on to be crowned UK Hip Hop Champions twice and represented Britain in the World Hip Hop Dance Championships in Las Vegas. Lewis is definitely has a wealth of experience when it comes to dancing, which stands him in good stead for Strictly victory… David Beckham was impressed with Lewis (Credit: Toby Melville/WPA Pool/Shutterstock) Is Lewis Cope related to David Beckham? No, the two are not related, but they do have a connection. After leaving the dance troupe in 2015 to study at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Lewis decided to pursue acting. His screen credits include Vera, Hetty Feather and Miss Sidhu Investigates. Lewis has even caught the attention of David Beckham. He was chosen for Beckham’s 2020 fragrance campaign thanks to his choice of dancing over bocing. In the video Beckham used to advertise his Bold Instinct parfum, Lewis can be seen pirouetting as he talks about the inspiration that led him to become a dancer. He said: “I’m from a huge working class family. Most of my brothers do boxing, but it was just never really for me. I wanted to dance.” David Beckham posted the ad on Facebook, writing: “It was great to meet Lewis Cope, Leo Jonah and That Funny Blind Guy. Thank you for sharing your inspiring stories and being part of my new fragrance launch, Bold Instinct.” Lewis played Nicky in Emmerdale (Credit: ITV) Lewis Cope and his role on Emmerdale In 2022, Lewis landed his breakout TV role as Nicky Miligan in Emmerdale. He earned a nomination for the National Television Awards’ Rising Star the following year. When Nicky first arrived in the Dales it was as a nanny to Gabby Thomas’ son. She quickly fell for him and the pair became engaged. But then came the huge reveal that Nicky was not who he said he was. In fact, he was the son of Caleb Miligan, who was out for revenge on the Tate family. He wanted the Tate money as he was the long-lost son of Frank Tate and Faith Dingle and felt he should get what he was owed. Nicky was a pawn in the game and had been forced to woo Gabby to get hold of her shares in the Tate fortune. However the real sticking point was the fact Nicky was actually gay. When he came out to his father and wouldn’t go through with the wedding, Caleb’s reaction caused Nicky to push his dad off a cliff. When Nicky’s mum Ruby arrived it was clear they had a close, if not dysfunctional, relationship. However after one betrayal too many, Nicky decided to quit the Dales for a new life abroad with his boyfriend Suni Sharma. Lewis had only been in Emmerdale for two years and has been much missed. Fans often demand he comes back, especially after such a huge year for the Miligan family. When quizzed by Tresa magazine about his time on the show, Lewis shared: “I feel very lucky to have been a part of Emmerdale. The people are the best part about the show, cast and crew! It’s such a special place to work!” Lewis is happy with girlfriend Rachel (Credit: James Shaw/Shutterstock) Does Lewis Cope have a girlfriend? The actor’s character in Emmerdale may have been a gay man, but in real life Lewis is in a long-term relationship with Rachel Lopez, who he has been with for six years now. Rachel is a personal trainer from Dublin who also occasionally appears in stage productions or short films. Since they got together, the pair have spent every Christmas in her hometown. Very little is publicly known about their relationship, but the couple do love to travel. In the past year they went on holiday to Budapest, Mykonos, Naxos, and of course Dublin. Lewis is partnered with Katya (Credit: BBC) Strictly Come Dancing success ahead for Lewis Cope? Lewis was unveiled as a late addition to the Strictly 2025 cast after actor Kristian Nairn pulled out. He announced the news on The One Show. He said: “I think, if anything, joining late has probably helped me because I haven’t had time to overthink it. The excitement has just taken over.” Lewis’ previous dance experience is set to stand him in good stead with Entertainment Daily reporting that he is 11/4 favourite to win the show with his partner Katya Jones. Read more: 7 Characters who never should have left Emmerdale including Nicky Miligan Share Good to Know Share By Carena Crawford Sep 27 2025 By Carena Crawford Sep 27 2025 Previous Story Next Story
