Dancer Gleb Savchenko has hit out at Maura Higgins, branding the Love Island star a “total stranger” after she said that she wanted to be paired with anyone “except” him on Dancing with the Stars.
A contestant on the upcoming series of the US dance competition show, reality TV star Higgins, 35, previously shared her desire to dance with anyone “except Gleb” as she didn’t like “the way he speaks about women”.
The comments got back to Savchenko, 42, with the Russian dancer and former Strictly Come Dancing star hitting out at Higgins as he alleged that the pair had never met.
”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 told the Daily Mirror.
“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.”
The Standard has contacted Higgins’ representatives for comment.
Higgins’ comments about Savchenko were made back in May when her casting on Dancing with the Stars was announced.
Asked who she’d like to be coupled up with, the Irish model – who made a name for herself across the pond after reaching the final on the US version of The Traitors – told E! News: ”I’d be happy with anyone except Gleb.”
Higgins claimed that this was due to her “loyalty” to actress Brooks Nader, Savchenko’s partner on the 2024 series of Dancing with the Stars who he ended up dating.
She then 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. I’m like, no thank you.”
First briefly dating while the show was airing, Nader and Savchenko ended up later rekindling their romance only to break up a second time, with neither party mincing their words when talking about their time dating.
Nader, who was recently romantically linked to Taron Egerton, called Savchenko “a completely creepy person” in September; half a year later, Savchenko claimed that Nader was “probably the worst sex of my life”.
