Nikita Kuzmin was seen making an emotional admission about his family as he prepares to return to Strictly Come Dancing.
The professional dancer is best known for being part of the hit dance show, having joined the cast back in 2021. Since then, the Ukrainian star has had four different celebrity partners, making it to the final in 2023 with actor Layton Williams.
Nikita was confirmed to be returning to the programme for its 2025 run in the pro dancer line-up back in April. He'll be joined by Amy Dowden, Nadiya Bychkova, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Gorka Marquez, and Luba Mushtuk.
Dianne Buswell, Jowita Przystal, Johannes Radebe, Michelle Tsiakkas, Aljaž Škorjanec, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley and Vito Coppola will also take to the ballroom once more.
But that wasn't actually the complete line-up, as when the initial announcement was made, it was also revealed that two brand new professional dancers will be making their debuts when the BBC One dance contest returns their autumn.
The newcomers have since been revealed as So You Think You Can Dance champion Alexis Warr and Australia’s Dancing With The Stars' Julian Caillon and they were seen joining the pros in preparation for Strictly's next run, with the group numbers set to be pre-recorded before the main series gets underway.
But ahead of returning to the Strictly bubble, the stars of the show were seen enjoying their breaks, with Nikita seen spending time with his family.
And it was as their latest time together in Rome came to an end, the 27-year-old shared an emotional admission. Sharing pictures of them together on Instagram, Nikita wrote: "A bit sad thinking that this was the last time seeing my family until Christmas. Would love to have them here in London with me."
His Strictly co-stars were quick to flood the comments section with heart emojis, while fans also shared their messages of support.
@x.aimeeh.x10 said: "You are always making them proud and we all can’t wait to see you back on the dance floor." @chrissie6574 commented: "Ahhh their loss is our gain Nikita. Can't wait to see you dancing again and if you fancy doing another tour, I realky wouldn't mind."
@strictly_nikita wrote: "This is so cute theyre definitely so proud of you." @emmalouise1223 replied: "They are always with you and always super proud." @diane_3244 shared: "Beautiful photos. Thank you for sharing." @ja389a added: "They are in your heart always & you in theirs Nikita, always remember absence makes the heart grow fonder, keep dancing."
