Strictly Come Dancing pro Nikita Kuzmin has revealed he still has family members in war-torn Ukraine.
In March, the 24-year-old dancer was reunited with his grandma in Poland after she walked more than five miles in the freezing cold and went without sleep for two nights to flee the country.
But during an appearance on Loose Women on Wednesday, Nikita revealed he has yet to reunite with other family members who were too sick to make the journey.
Upsetting: Strictly Come Dancing pro Nikita Kuzmin revealed in Loose Women on Wednesday that he still has family members in war-torn Ukraine
Speaking to presenters Jane Moore, Coleen Nolan, Brenda Edwards and Janet Street Porter, the Ukrainian dancer said: “It’s quite heartbreaking and overwhelming with emotions. I never thought I could feel this way about my country.
“If you have family and friends there and you grew up there and you see the streets you walked on as a kid, they were bombed and bombed and sadly people died.
“My grandma was still there and luckily she made it to the Polish border after a month – I drove overnight from Germany to pick her up. My mother flew from Italy.
Reunited: In March, the 24-year-old dancer was reunited with his grandma in Poland after she walked more than five miles in the freezing cold and went without sleep for two nights to flee the country
Sharing that while his grandma was safe, Nikita still has family in Ukraine, explaining: “We can’t take her out due to health reasons, so I think about it all the time.
“I don’t want to do it about me, it’s not about me, it’s about the heroes defending our country. It’s all about her so I’m just praying to god this will end soon.
Nikita was joined on Loose Women by fellow Strictly pro Graziano di Prima, 28, who spoke about his upcoming Italian wedding and revealed former dance partner Judi Love had bagged an invite.
Co-stars: Nikita was joined by fellow Strictly pro Graziano di Prima, 28, on Loose Women
Back on topic, Graziano spoke about his upcoming Italian wedding and revealed that former dance partner Judi Love had bagged an invite
Asked about the big day, Coleen, 57, said: “So it’s happening soon, finally – but [it’s] Top secret apart from Judi’s coming!’
Brenda, 53, went on to ask Giada, who is also a dancer and with whom he was on tour at the time, about the proposal.
He replied: “It was 2019 – I wanted to do something really romantic for my fiancee Giada.
“We were rehearsing for a show and I said I had to go back to Sicily to see my family and she wanted to come with me – I told her to stay.
“So I went to Sicily, got the ring, saw my family and returned to England. Before we started the tour, I put the ring in a sock. We live together, so we share everything.”
Mess around: Earlier in the day, the two were spotted outside the ITV studios where they bumped into comedian Chris Ramsey, 35
Fun: Chris hid under a dark baseball cap and kept things casual by wearing a blue t-shirt and jeans while joking around with the dancers
Explaining that their suitcases were roughly handled and thrown around as they switched cities each day, Graziano said, “I was like, ‘Oh no!’ She said: ‘You never took care of the luggage before – why now?’
“Every night when she was sleeping, I would go to the bathroom to prepare the speech first in English and then in Italian.
Then, on his birthday, he proposed on stage. ‘I wanted to cry. I will never forget that.”
Looking good: Graziano, 28, looked chic in black trousers, which he tucked in a pink silk shirt, while Nikita, 24, cut a smart figure in a gray sheen
Catching up: The pair were engrossed by Graziano’s phone as they chatted outside the studio
Earlier in the day, the two were spotted outside the ITV studios where they met comedian Chris Ramsey, 35.
Graziano looked chic in black trousers, into which he tucked a pink silk shirt, while Nikita cut a dapper figure in a gray blazer.
Hiding under a dark ball cap, Chris kept things casual by wearing a blue tee and jeans.
Wedding is coming: Graziano appeared to be in high spirits as he fooled around for the cameras