Strictly star Nadiya Bychkova says she is ‘not friends’ with ex Kai Widdrington
Strictly Come Dancing professional Nadiya Bychkova has been blunt about her relationship with ex-boyfriend Kai Widdrington.
The former Strictly couple began dating in 2022, but split earlier this year.
Asked whether they remain friendly, Bychkova said: “We work together but we are not friends and that’s OK.”
The Ukrainian dancer continued: “One thing I can tell you is that when you see me dancing with him, it will be amazing because I’m a professional.”
She declined to comment any further on their break-up or former relationship.
Professional dancers Bychkova, 35, and Widdrington, 29, met on the BBC dancing competition back in 2021.
This year’s season of Strictly saw Bychkova partnered with 24-year-old Olympian Tom Dean. The pair, however, were the first couple to be eliminated after losing a dance-off to Toyah Willcox and her partner Neil Jones.
Speaking at The Mirror’s Pride of Britain awards, Bychkova said of her early exit: “It’s never nice to leave early.”
She continued: “Tom and I have had so much support from people and I get the feeling that the viewers wanted to see what he was capable of and so did I. Someone had to go and it’s just a shame it was Tom.”
She said that they are “going to keep dancing” despite the elimination.
“I am going to teach him a salsa with some big lifts. Not for TV, just so he can see he can be brilliant,” Bychkova said.
Asked who should take home the coveted Glitterball trophy this year, she said: “There is so much talent this year and the standard is so high it’s incredible. I love the show so much and it’s great to have a front row seat every weekend. I have no idea who is going to win but I know we are in a brilliant few months of dancing.”
Widdrington, a fan-favourite on the show since joining in 2021, is notably absent from this year’s line-up.
The male-heavy roster of celebrities, all of which you can find here, meant that less male professional partners were required.
A source told The Sun at the time: “Kai has become the first casualty of this year’s male-heavy line-up.
“With so few female celebrities it was inevitable that some of the professionals would miss out on a pairing, but it’s a real blow that Kai is one of them.”
This year’s season of Strictly has been rocked by scandal after former contestant Amanda Abbington pulled out last year and later filed complaints of verbal bullying and harassment against pro dancer Giovanni Pernice.
Pernice has denied any wrongdoing, while the BBC’s months-long investigation into his conduct acknowledged Abbington’s complaints of verbal bullying and harassment but concluded that the Italian dancer was not physically aggressive to his celebrity partner.
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