TV CHAOS: Strictly’s Nikita Kuzmin Leaves Fans Stunned as He REVEALS His Sister’s SECRET Reality Show Past
Strictly Come Dancing professional Nikita Kuzmin has surprised fans by revealing his sister’s unexpected brush with reality TV fame.
Nikita, 27, has become one of the BBC show’s most popular pros since joining the ballroom line-up. This year, viewers are following his journey alongside celebrity partner Amber Davies.
The pair have now danced their way into the semi-finals, after surviving a tense dance-off last week. While Nikita is primarily well-known to UK audiences, it seems his knack for appearing on hit TV shows runs in the family.
His sister Anastasia Kuzmina has been a professional dancer on Ballando con le Stelle, the Italian version of Dancing with the Stars, since 2012.
The siblings moved from Ukraine to Italy when Nikita was nine, and both quickly immersed themselves in the country’s thriving dance scene.
Anastasia recently expanded her career further by securing her first musical theatre role and has appeared in the 2024 Italian production of Neverland.
However, fans were stunned when Nikita revealed that dancing isn’t Anastasia’s only claim to fame. He took to his Instagram stories yesterday to share that she once competed on, and won, a major reality show.
He wrote: “Little fact. My sister @anastasia__kuzmina has done the Italian version of @raceacrosstheworld about 12 years ago (and Won It).
“Seeing her travel through India has inspired me to go there 10 years later, which is still up to today the favourite solo travel trip I’ve ever done.”
Anastasia also came close to lifting a trophy on the dance floor after she nearly reached the Ballando con le Stelle final with singer Paolo Belli.
Nikita himself narrowly avoided elimination last week after he and Amber faced Lewis Cope and Katya Jones in the dance-off. But the pair stormed back during Musicals Week, earning a perfect 40 for their Charleston. Incidentally, this was the highest score of the night.
Their rivals, Lewis and Katya, landed in the bottom two after scoring 35 for their Salsa and were later sent home. Off-screen, Nikita has recently opened up about balancing fame and his personal life.
Despite speculation around the so-called Strictly curse, the dancer has insisted that his relationship with girlfriend Lauren Jaine is rock solid.
He addressed the rumours that have been swirling around their relationship ever since he was spotted kissing Amber on the head as they left training, saying: “I think it can be difficult for anyone who isn’t a dancer to understand, but she [Lauren] knows it’s just a job. We don’t really think about it in a romantic way – it’s just part of what we do. And if there was ever an issue, we’d talk about it and just sort it out.”
Nikita — who went public with Lauren in late 2023 — added that he feels “really lucky” to have her support behind the scenes. He shared: “I always call my mum on my way home, and when I get back, I have Lauren waiting for me. We make time for each other.”
