Things appear to have turned frosty for Strictly Come Dancing’s former golden couple, Kai Widdrington and Nadiya Bychkova.
The professional dancers first met on the popular BBC show in 2021, during which Kai, 29, danced with AJ Odudu and Nadiya, 34, was paired with Dan Walker.
After Nadiya split from ex-fiancé and footballer Matija Škarabot, with whom she shares a daughter, the pro dancers grew close and are rumoured to have started dating in January 2022.
Opening up on how it was ‘magic’ when they met, Nadiya explained: ‘We met, obviously, as Kai joined Strictly. We became friends, and then magic happened! Can’t help it.’
While their relationship looked picture-perfect from the outside, speculation began brewing earlier this year, following solo appearances and cryptic Instagram posts, that the Ukrainian and English dancing duo had grown apart.
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By mid-July, following Strictly’s Behind the Magic tour, a source revealed the pair had parted ways: ‘It’s heartbreaking’, they said. ‘Kai and Nadiya seemed like the most perfect couple and have been so, so blissfully in love.’
‘But the pressures of touring – being in each other’s space 24/7, and the stress of performing a sell-out show eventually took its toll.’
Despite claims Kai and Nadiya remained ‘incredibly close’, a recent appearance at the National Television Awards earlier this week seems to prove otherwise.
Both attended the prestigious event on Thursday night, with Nadiya seen walking the carpet in an eye-catching pink dress complete with a long train.
Kai, meanwhile, walked the carpet with his former dance partner and broadcaster Angela Rippon, 79, in a dapper suit with a bow tie.
However, metro.co.uk can confirm that the former couple did not interact on the carpet, nor did they walk it at the same time as Nadiya, was one of the last to arrive.
Speaking to the MailOnline, the frosty treatment continued inside the O2, with an onlooker revealing: ‘When the pair got inside the O2, they gave each other a very wide berth.’
‘Organisers had ensured there would be no awkward camera shots by keeping the frosty pair apart from each other.’
While it remains unclear what caused the former couple’s heartbreaking split, new reports claim it may have come after news Kai will not be dancing with a celebrity partner in the upcoming season of Strictly, due to air tonight.
He told MailOnline at the TV awards: ‘Everyone wants to get a celeb, but unfortunately it wasn’t my time this year. Hopefully, I will get one next year. Unfortunately, there’s nine male celebs and six female celebs.’
Strictly returns this weekend after months of controversy following a BBC investigation into the programme.
The competition came under fire earlier this year following a bullying scandal, in which Amanda Abbington, 50, claimed her experience on the series left her with PTSD after working with Giovanni Pernice.
Giovanni – who has since left the show – denied the allegations his approach was ‘unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean’.
Graziano Di Prima also left the show after his celebrity partner Zara McDermott claimed he kicked during rehearsals.
While BBC has yet to release the findings of its three-month investigation into the matter, it has announced new guidelines for this year’s contestants, including that a chaperone must be present at all rehearsals.
Strictly Come Dancing airs at 7.20 pm on September 14, on BBC One and iPlayer.
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