Strictly Come Dancing pros Kai Widdrington and Nadiya Bychkova gushed about their “magical” relationship and eschewed the idea of the show’s mysterious curse.
Ukrainian dancer Nadiya, 33, and British pro Kai, 27, first met on the set of Strictly in 2017 when he was a backup dancer and she was working with actor Davood Ghadami on her first series.
After they started talking following the collapse of their previous relationship with Slovenian footballer Matija Skarabot, father of her six-year-old daughter Mila, something beautiful blossomed between the two.
Kai, who joined the professional roster in series 19, said he sees what happened to the pair as a “blessing” as they would now embark on a 36-day dance tour together.
Speaking to the Daily Express, he also admitted he thought Nadiya was “absolutely gorgeous” when he first saw her six years ago.
‘A blessing’: Strictly Come Dancing pros Kai Widdrington and Nadiya Bychkova have gushed about their ‘magical’ relationship and shunned the idea of the show’s mysterious curse
Cute: Ukrainian dancer Nadiya, 33, and British pro Kai, 27, first met on the set of Strictly in 2017 when he was a backup dancer and she was working with actor Davood Ghadami on her first series (pictured together in October 2022). )
He revealed it was four years later when they first became romantically involved.
“That’s when we started talking, but it wasn’t until we danced together that the magic happened,” Kai revealed.
Nadiya continued, “We just fitted together. Everything worked. That’s the only way I can describe it. Dancing with Kai felt like the easiest thing in the world.’
Her dance partner and boyfriend Kai added that he knew pretty early on that something special was unfolding in their interactions.
Kai enthused: “When we danced together for the first time, it was like the nail in the coffin. Our fate was sealed.”
Nadiya also gushed about her boyfriend and his loving relationship with their baby daughter.
In January, she held back tears while appearing on the “Loose Women” panel, where she said her daughter “adores” the dancer and how “brilliant” Kai is with Mila.
Speaking to Loose Women on Friday, she said: “It took some time because it wasn’t easy. You protect your child as best you can, but it’s brilliant.”
“It’s taken some time but he’s proven himself in all sorts of ways and Mila absolutely adores him!”
Kai further revealed that Nadiya’s daughter gave him the nickname “Kai Lemon Pie”.
Family: After they started talking after the collapse of their previous relationship with Slovenian footballer Matija Skarabot, father of her daughter Mila, six, (pictured with Nadiya and Kai), something beautiful blossomed between the pair
Lovebirds: Speaking to the Daily Express, he also admitted he thought Nadiya was ‘absolutely gorgeous’ when he first saw her six years ago (pictured together last month)
The professional dancer confirmed the couple’s romance in April 2022 after dating “a few months.”
In an interview with the Chron’s Weekend magazine, she said: “We’ve been seeing each other properly for a couple of months now.
“It’s still early and we were rehearsing for the Strictly Professionals tour so there was very little free time.
“But we’re learning more about each other every day. He is kind and compassionate and makes me laugh. I feel very relaxed with him.’
The lovebirds kept their relationship out of the spotlight thanks to clever baiting.
The professional dancers say their relationship began when Kai, 27, plucked up the courage to invite Nadiya, 33, over for dinner after weeks of texting and calling.
But the two were determined to keep their blossoming romance to themselves and went out in baseball caps or disguises so they wouldn’t be recognized.
Work: Kai, who is on 19 2021 with AJ Odudu and left, Nadiya with Dan Walker)
Loved up: He revealed it was four years later when they first got involved romantically: “That’s when we started talking, but it wasn’t until we danced together that the magic happened,” Kai revealed
Ex: The Strictly Come Dancing star shares daughter Mila with her ex-fiancé, footballer Matija Škarabot (pictured), who she split from in 2021
Looking back at how their romance began, Kai told The Sun earlier this year: “We knew it was going to come out and it was going to be a big deal, so we kept it a secret for as long as we could, which was both annoying and exciting at the same time .
And their romance appears to be growing stronger, with Kai declaring they “want to be together for life” when asked if fans can expect an engagement in the future.
Kai said shyly, “Listen, what can I say… we’re very happy together and we don’t want this to end. Of course we want to stay together for life, so we’ll see where it goes.’
The professional dancer says that while they didn’t have to tell HR they wanted a relationship, they did and the BBC was “completely okay with it”.