Strictly Come Dancing star Nikita Kuzmin has reportedly split from his longterm girlfriend Nicole Wirt.
The professional dancer, 24, is said to have parted ways with his partner who has now moved out of the flat they shared together.
Nikita, who is partnered with paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds on this year's series, reportedly decided it was 'for the best' the couple went their separate ways.
A source said: 'Nikita wanted to totally focus on this series of Strictly and decided a while back he wanted to end his relationship with Nicole.
'They had been together for five years and it ended up being a mutual decision. Nicole is mainly based in Germany and she is getting busier with work.
'Nicole used to stay in London to visit Nikita but it was becoming more difficult with their schedules.'
The insider added the exes only want the best for each other and Nikita now wants to focus all his energy on Strictly.
MailOnline has contacted representatives of Nikita Kuzmin for comment.
The Ukranian dancer was partnered with Tilly Ramsay on last year's series, where they finished in sixth place.
The pair had to fight off romance rumours during their run on the show, particularly after the pro dancer was pictured heading to her London flat.
Nicole added fuel to the fire after deleting a gushing supportive comment to the pair after the first live show.
Sharing a snap of their Waltz on Instagram, Nicole had added love heart emojis and wrote 'cheering on my favs' and their performance was 'mesmerising' in the now-deleted post.
Nikita and Ellie have impressed the judges with their performances so far, receiving a score of 26 out of 40 in week one and 30 out of 40 in week two.
Ellie previously told how she hopes her taking part in Strictly will inspire others, saying: 'People have reached out to me, it's been so touching. If I can do it, people watching will be like, 'We can do it too.'
'If I had this as a child, watching someone with dwarfism on a dancing show, it would have been amazing. I never thought I'd get the opportunity. I swam in front of millions of people but dancing is different.'
Other Strictly stars have fallen victim to the curse over the years, with one of the more recent being Adam Peaty.
In an Instagram statement in August 2022, Olympic swimmer Adam took to Instagram to confirm that he and his girlfriend Eirianedd Munro had split after three years together.
He said that the couple had decided to go 'their separate ways' but that their son George, who is two next month, remained their 'priority'.
Announcing the news via social media, Adam wrote: 'Eiri and George, I'm sorry for letting you down. My only interest is for the well-being of our family at this difficult time.'
The split comes Adam raised eyebrows with his chemistry with pro partner Katya Jones on the dance floor last year, with eagle-eyed fans claiming they thought that they nearly kissed at the end of one steamy routine.
After the incident, Eirianedd admitted she had been 'really emotional' after her sportsman beau's 'near kiss' with Katya.
Eirianedd, told fans she took a 'short break' from social media after Adam and Katya got very close at the end of their racy Argentine Tango last autumn.
The sportsman's partner took to TikTok to thank her followers for their support, admitting she was 'really emotional' after being trolled online following Adam's television performance.
A source close to the artist at the time revealed she hoped Katya didn't get 'any ideas' about their close partnership, after posting a tongue-in-cheek TikTok featuring her miming to a track in which the vocalist sings she'll 'kill' the next girl her beau dances with.
When Max George appeared on series 18 of Strictly he was happily loved-up with Stacey Giggs, whom he had been dating for four years, with the singer taking on the role of stepfather to her two children.
Yet months after appearing on the show he began a relationship with fellow series 18 star Maisie Smith, who had been linked to singer HRVY during her initial time on the show.
Max and Maisie were said to have grown close on the Strictly live tour, which took place a couple of months after they appeared on the show together.
Stacey then accused her ex of cheating on her with Maisie and reportedly felt 'betrayed' by her former beau.
Meanwhile, Strictly 2021 winner Rose Ayling-Ellis split from her long-term boyfriend Sam Arnold last month.
The EastEnders actress, 27, was with her partner for seven years, with him cheering her on as she lifted the glitterball trophy last year.
But the couple have reportedly called it quits as Rose continues to throw herself into work after being inundated with offers after winning Strictly.
It comes after it was recently reported that Rose's friends have expressed doubt over the couple's future due to their busy work schedules and have said they are worried that the infamous Strictly curse may strike again.
Source: DailyMail
