Strictly's Nikita Kuzmin: Who is in dancer's family? Meet his parents, famous sister and more
Nikita Kuzmin is sailing through this year's series of Strictly Come Dancing thanks to his incredible partnership with Bad Education actor and West End star Layton Williams.
The same-sex duo are wowing the judges and viewers at home and last week they scored brilliantly for their disco-themed Cha Cha Cha.
The week before was even more special as Movie Week saw Nikita's parents and girlfriend Lauren attend the live show as they cheered on the dancers from the sidelines.
So who is Nikita's family? Find out more about his parents, siblings and partner here…
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Who are Nikita Kuzmin's parents?
Nikita's parents are Natalia and Ievgen Kuzmin. The proud mum and dad came to watch for week three's movie-themed special and they even got a shout out from the studio.
After Nikita and Layton danced their Viennese Waltz to Grease, the pair headed upstairs to chat with Claudia who said to the professional: "Nikita your parents are here for the first time," which was met with cheers from the crowd and his fellow Strictly stars.
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Nikita told the host: "I'm really excited, really nervous, but it makes me feel like a kid. In the end I'm just a kid from Ukraine living his dream. It's just special."
Nikita was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, but the family moved to Italy when he was nine years old. The dancer has also lived in Frankfurt, Germany, where he competed on Let's Dance, the German version of Strictly.
Does Nikita Kuzmin have siblings?
Nikita has one older sister called Anastasia who is also known in the ballroom and Latin dance world. The dancer is a champion in her field and has competed on the Italian version of the show Ballando con le Stelle. In 2012, she won the show alongside Andrés Gil.
Since then, she has presented dance shows in Europe such as Ballando on the Road, Dance Battle and Happy Dance. Nikita and Anastasia have a close bond and often take trips together.
What else is there to know about Nikita Kuzmin's family?
In 2022, Nikita spoke frankly about his heartbreak for his family and the wider conflict in Ukraine amid the Ukraine-Russia war. At the time, Nikita explained that many of his extended family including his grandparents, aunts and uncles were trapped.
Speaking on Loose Women alongside his Strictly partner at the time, Ellie Simmonds, he said: "It's quite difficult, therefore I try to – I call my grandparents every single day, it's really important for me to know what's happening, especially in the last two weeks [as things have gotten worse.]"
However, soon after on Instagram he revealed to his followers that he had rescued his grandmother after she fled to Poland. He wrote: "Picked up my grandma from Poland! She is so incredibly brave & strong, 2 nights without sleeping, walking 8km+ in the freezing cold, when on a normal day, she can barely walk! She traveled from Kiev, my mom flew from Rome and I drove from Frankfurt and we all reunited in Krakow! Just so happy to be together."
He added: "When I was waiting for my mom and grandma at the train station, I've been immersed in this situation for the first time in real life. Although I know I should have been happy for my family, I couldn't. Just had tears on my eyes, because of how sad the situation is. How many thousands of kids and women doing their absolute best to stay strong."
