Strictly's Nikita Kuzmin opens up on 'tough week' for partner Ellie Simmonds

STRICTLY Come Dancing fans have branded Jayde Adams and Karen Hauer's leotard-clad routine as "absolutely glorious" and a triumph for body positivity. The BBC duo performed a lively Cha Cha Cha to Flashdance track What A Feeling to wrap up Strictly Come Dancing's Movie Week.

READ MORE: Updates from Strictly's Movie Week as 14 remaining couples take to the floor Last week saw Loose Women star Kaye Adams bow out of the competition with her dance partner Kai Widdrington - who last year made it into the final with TV presenter Aj Odudu before she withdrew due to a severe ankle injury. But head judge Shirley was unimpressed with the result, and disagreed with her fellow judges who chose to save Bros singer Matt Goss after the dreaded dance off.

READ MORE: Updates from Strictly's Movie Week as 14 remaining couples take to the floor One Strictly fan said: "@KatieMKat @bbcstrictly @mattgoss @NadiyaBychkova Can't believe how low he scored Matt. Very cruel. " A second viewer said: "No, I’m sorry, but a 3 for Matt Goss’ dance is ridiculous.

STRICTLY Come Dancing judge Motsi Mabuse gave Ellie Simmonds some kind words of wisdom as she became emotional following the live show. The Paralympian, 27, danced a Quickstep to Peppy and George by Ludovico Bource, with Strictly Come Dancing pro Nikita Kuzmin, in the BBC show's Movie Week. Yet despite being praised for her running sections in the sequence, and how she got into character, Ellie seemed upset in the aftermath.

"I’m sitting with my family watching Ellie Simmonds take to the Strictly dance floor in a beautiful gold dress.The Paralympian smiles from ear to ear as she performs her incredible cha-cha – and I’m grinning right back at her. As the audience applauds Ellie, I feel like it’s one of the best moments of my entire life. My excitement has been building up to this moment since August, when it was announced she’d be taking part.

Strictly Come Dancing had a stellar week two and as week three kicked off, the social media account for the BBC series shared a very in depth behind the scenes look.The official Strictly Twitter account shared footage of exactly what the contestants and their professional partners say to each other when their microphones are turned off during their routines. Along with a video montage of some of last week’s best moments on the dancefloor they wrote: “Hidden mic time! Listen to the secret sounds of #Strictly Week Two!” It’s fair to say that Katya Jones got fully into character as she and her partner, football legend Tony Adams, could be heard chatting away as they performed their Charleston set in a pie n mash shop.

STRICTLY Come Dancing star Tyler West has put his "body through the paces" after jetting to Mauritius for just nine hours. The Kiss FM DJ, 26, has been juggling training with Strictly Come Dancing professional Dianne Buswell alongside prep for his sibling's special wedding day.

STRICTLY Come Dancing pro Nikita Kuzmin flashed a thumbs up as he arrived in London for training after splitting from his long-term girlfriend. This week, The Sun exclusively reported how the Ukrainian champ, 24, seemed to have fallen foul of the programme's infamous curse after we revealed Nikita and partner Nicole Wirt had split after five years together. We then reported how Nikita was seen covering his head with his leather jacket as he was seen with another mystery female weeks before the split news broke.

A body language expert has branded Ellie Simmonds "electric" and said she is one of the clear favourites to win the show, ahead of this week's episode. Speaking on behalf of Betfair Casino, body language expert Darren Stanton revealed he thinks Ellie could go all the way this year.  “A truly electric performance from this couple, where a simple dance was turned into something that appeared magical and seamless," he said, referring to Ellie's performances last weekend.

STRICTLY Come Dancing may have only just waltzed back onto our TV screens, but one expert says they know who will be in the final. A body language specialist has predicted the three celebrities and their pro partners who will be left in the race for the Glitterball.

Strictly Come Dancing star Nikita Kuzmin has broken his silence amid reports that he and his long-term girlfriend have called it quits. The professional dancer, 24, is believed to have split from fellow dancer Nicole Wirt after five years of dating, with reports claiming Nikita wants to "totally focus" on the current series of Strictly. Despite his break-up, Nikita, who joined the BBC One show last year, has been working hard with his dance partner Ellie Simmonds, 27, ahead of Saturday night's live show.

STRICTY Come Dancing pro Nikita Kuzmin was spotted on a night out with a mystery woman shortly before his split with fellow dancer Nicole Wirt was revealed. The Ukrainian, 24, - who is paired with Paralympian Ellie Simmonds on this year's BBC show - appears to have fallen foul of the programme's infamous curse after The Sun revealed the duo had split after five years together. The break-up saw a series of cryptic Instagram messages posted by Nicole, who lives in Germany, unearthed.

Ellie Simmonds is the 27-year-old Paralympian who is currently competing in this year's Strictly Come Dancing.The swimming sensation holds an OBE and won two gold medals aged 13 in 2008 at the Beijing summer Paralympics - and is now trying her hand at dancing.Entering the competition after her long-time beau persuaded her to take up the offer, Ellie is paired up with professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin - with the pair dancing the Cha Cha to DANCE by DNCE last weekend.READ NEXT: Strictly's Helen Skelton 'collapses' as brutal training session leaves her on floorThe sporting star has achondroplasia dwarfism, a glowing career, a doting boyfriend and a slew of honorary degrees.To find out more about Ellie, keep on reading as Daily Star explores her life.Ellie has a generic condition called achondroplasia, which means her bones didn't develop properly while she was in the womb.With this condition the protein "begins to function abnormally", which in turn "slows down the growth of bone in the cartilage of the growth plate".Dwarfism is the primary feature of the achondroplasia, and those with the condition usually have shorter arms and legs, while the torso is of a normal length.Speaking to The Guardian back in 2014, Ellie revealed that she is the youngest of five but only she and her older sister Katie have the condition.She said: "I've always been aware of being shorter, but I felt as if I could do anything.

Strictly Come Dancing professional Nikita Kuzmin has reportedly broken up with his girlfriend of five years, Nicole Wirt.

Strictly Come Dancing professional James Jordan praised Ellie Simmonds and Nikita Kuzmin's Cha Cha Cha routine, but suggested she could do with "consciously" straightening her leg to improve her performance.

Strictly Come Dancing pro Nikita Kuzmin has reportedly broken up with his girlfriend of five years, fellow dancer Nicole Wirt.The 24-year-old TV star and his partner are said to have made the “mutual decision” to part ways as Nikita embarks on a new series of Strictly with Ellie Simmonds.Nicole has purportedly moved her personal belongings out from Nikita’s London home.According to a source, Nikita - who has been partnered with Paralympic swimmer Ellie - wants to “focus” on work now.Nicole is said to also be throwing herself into work in Germany as she is currently “getting busier”.The 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.”The insider added to The Sun: “Nikita is totally caught up in Strictly so they decided it was for the best for them to break up.“Nicole used to stay in London to visit Nikita but it was becoming more difficult with their schedules.”The source concluded that Nikita “only wants the best for Nicole” and vice versa.They concluded: “For now he wants to put all of his focus on Ellie and their journey on Strictly.”Nikita's BBC representatives told Express.co.uk: "We’re not commenting and neither is Nikita."It comes after Nikita recently gave fans an insight into his training process with Ellie after impressing the judges with their first performance.Last week, This Morning hosts Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield welcomed Strictly stars Ellie and Nikita onto the show.The pair revealed that they would be tackling the Waltz after their impressive Cha Cha

Strictly Come Dancing star Nikita Kuzmin has called time on his relationship with long-term girlfriend Nicole Wirt, after five years together, according to reports. The talented professional dancer, who is currently starring on the 20th series of the iconic BBC show alongside his celebrity dance partner Olympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds, is said to have mutually made the decision to split with fellow dancer Nicole after dating for over half a decade.

Rose Ayling-Ellis brightened up a grey Wednesday by sharing a fun video of her adventures in Maldives.MORE: Giovanni Pernice's touching tribute to Rose Ayling-Ellis on Strictly revealedThe actress visited the dreamy destination last month but couldn't help but look back on her exciting holiday this week as the weather is "dull and grey" and wanted to "cheer up" her followers.WATCH: Rose Ayling-Ellis shares fun adventures from Maldives holidayTaking to Instagram Stories, she told her fans: "Today the weather was dull and grey. So I look back to my holiday photos when it was sunny and blue.READ: Rose Ayling-Ellis responds to Strictly critics with powerful message – 'Don't compare me to Ellie'RELATED: Rose Ayling-Ellis shows off incredible physique in sizzling red bikini"I've realised I have quite a few funny videos...

Strictly Come Dancing star Nikita Kuzmin, who is partnered with Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds on the BBC competition, has reportedly broken up with his girlfriend.The dancing pro, 24, has been in a relationship with Nicole Wirt since 2016 but a source revealed the fellow dancer has moved her belongings out of her ex-boyfriend's London flat.A source told The Sun that Nikita's sole focus is on Strictly and as Nicole is based in Germany, their schedules have become harder to work around.READ MORE: Strictly It Takes Two viewers baffled over continuity error as seating 'changes'The 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."Nikita is totally caught up in Strictly so they decided it was for the best for them to break up.