Maura Higgins has doubled down on her criticism of Dancing With The Stars pro Gleb Savchenko, just days before the competition kicks off.
The Love Island icon, 35, made headlines when she declared that she didn't want to be partnered with the 42-year-old when the show begins on September 15, after his comments about ex Brooks Nader.
He then accused her of attempting to start "unnecessary drama" and claimed he had never heard of her, vowing he wouldn't "lose any sleep over the opinions of someone I've never met".
Maura's refusal to back down
In a new interview, Maura was questioned about her upcoming stint in the ballroom, and refused to back down when faced with a question over who she would love to be paired with.
"I'm going to be, probably, a total nightmare in the rehearsal room," she teased to StyleCaster, before adding: "I'd be happy with anyone just, again, not Gleb. But anyone else is fine!
"I just feel, with Mark [Ballas], we have such a good relationship. We got on so well on the Traitors US - I know that friendship wasn't really aired because they can only show so much - but I think he'd be able to handle me. I think, anyway…"
The reality star became close friends with Mark while filming the last season of the Traitors US - where she made it to the final before being beaten by Rob Rausch.
Backstage tensions
Shortly after, she was named in the line-up for season 35 of DWTS alongside Ciara Miller, Guillermo Rodriguez and Jackson Olson - with a string of stars yet to be confirmed.
However, tensions may be simmering backstage after Maura insisted that she didn't want to dance with Gleb, stating that she "doesn't like the way he speaks about women", in the wake of his remarks about ex Brooks.
The dancer, who has been on DWTS since 2013, dated the model at the end of 2024 before briefly splitting - they then reunited but went their separate ways in April 2025.
Touching on their relationship in an interview, he later declared: "When I dated her, it was pretty bad. Probably the worst sex of my life. She was so f***ed up.
"She wanted to make out with me, and I was like, 'That's not my vibe. She choked me, pushed me against the wall, chipped my tooth…"
Maura, a close pal of Brooks, was less than impressed by the comments, and later told E! News: "I'd be happy [to be paired] with anyone except Gleb."
"That's only because I'm loyal and I'm friends with Brooks," she added. "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.
The Mirror has contacted Gleb's reps for a comment.
