Strictly Come Dancing 'tension' behind the scenes as two stars 'refuse' to be near each other

Two Strictly Come Dancing stars, Kai Widdrington and Nadiya Bychkova, are reportedly maintaining a distance from each other behind the scenes of the BBC dance competition.

The professional dancers, who started dating in 2022 and went public with their romance, split before the start of this year's series.

Although the split was initially reported to be amicable, it has since been claimed that the couple are "no longer on friendly terms".

Recently, Nadiya revealed to the Mirror that she and Kai are "not friends". When asked about the breakup, Nadiya stated: "We work together but we are not friends and that's okay. One thing I can tell you is that when you see me dancing with him it will be amazing because I'm a professional."

During live shows, the tension between Nadiya and Kai has been evident, with the two standing on opposite sides of the set, reports the Mirror.

In the 'Clauditorium', where the professionals and their celebrity partners gather after each performance, Kai and Nadiya have been seen keeping their distance while host Claudia Winkleman chats with the stars.

A source told The Sun: "Although they may have big smiles on their faces when the cameras are running, it's been very tense between them.

"They refuse to be near each other at all on set- but there's not much room up there with all the professionals. They just have to do their best to avoid each other every weekend."

Nadiya first crossed paths with Kai on the BBC dance competition at the tail end of 2021, where they quickly fell for one another.

Nadiya, who was previously wedded to Russian dancer Sergey Konovaltsev, had joined the Strictly line-up in 2017, while Kai became part of the ensemble in 2021.

He had previously been in a five-year relationship with professional dancer and fellow Dancing with the Stars professional, Giulia Dotta from 2016 until 2021.

Initially, Nadiya and Kai attempted to keep their blossoming romance under wraps as it took Nadiya some time to feel ready to move forward with Kai. She was once betrothed to footballer Matija Skarabot and shares daughter Mila with him.

Nadiya opened up about how she introduced her daughter Mila to Kai during an appearance on Loose Women last year. She confessed: "It took quite some time, honestly, it's not easy."

Pointing towards panelist Judi Love, who has two teenage children, Nadiya added: "As you know you protect your child as much as you can. It took some time but he proved himself in all the possible ways. Mila absolutely adores him."

When questioned about the couple's future plans and the possibility of an engagement, Kai previously stated: "Listen, what can I say... we are very happy together and we don't want this to end. Of course we want to be together for life, so we will see where it goes."

WalesOnline has reached out to Kai and Nadiya's representatives for a statement.

Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday on BBC One from 6:30pm