Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Gleb Savchenko has fired back at Maura Higgins after she publicly stated she would not want him as a dance partner on the upcoming series of Dancing With the Stars.
The former Love Island star, who is set to appear on the American show, told E! News she would be "happy with anyone but Gleb" and explained her reasoning: "That's only because I'm loyal and I'm friends with Brooks."
Maura's blunt comments
Maura, who has become a hit in America, went on to criticise the dancer's attitude towards women. She said: "I don't really like the way he speaks about women. I don't really want to spend all my time with someone like that. I'm like, 'No thank you'."
Her comments referenced Gleb's previous relationship with American model Brooks Nader, with whom he was partnered on DWTS in 2024. The pair dated briefly after the show but split seven months later.
Gleb's response
Now, Gleb has issued a statement to Metro, saying: "Until I was asked to comment on this story, I'd genuinely never heard of this girl, Maura, so I'm certainly not going to lose any sleep over the opinions of someone I've never met."
He added: "It's odd to publicly attack a complete stranger, but if that's how she wants to make headlines before the show starts, that's her choice. I'll stay focused and leave the unnecessary drama to everyone else."
Background
Brooks Nader, who won the 2019 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Search, came ninth in the 33rd series of DWTS with Gleb. Their romance ended after seven months, with Gleb telling Us Weekly he was "surprised to learn" she had called time on their relationship.
In April this year, Gleb claimed on the Unwell Winter Games YouTube series that he had "probably the worst sex of [his] life" with the model.
It is not yet clear whether Gleb will return for the 35th series of DWTS. He appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2015, partnered with Anita Rani.
Maura has already said she wants no showmance on the show, telling E! News: "I'm single, I'm celibate, and I'm bloody happy."
Express.co.uk has reached out to Maura Higgins for a comment.
