Nadiya with Strictly pro Kai Widdrington© Instagram

Strictly's Nadiya Bychkova shares rare photo of 'angel' daughter Mila - as boyfriend Kai reacts to incredible first

The Strictly Come Dancing regular is dating her co-star Kai Widdrington

Senior Online Writer
May 5, 2024

Nadiya Bychkova's daughter Mila, seven, is following in her mum's footsteps as a dancer and the mother-daughter duo shared another special moment on Sunday. 

The Strictly star took to her Instagram Stories, where she shared the sweetest image of herself and her little girl holding hands on stage, with a spotlight shining down on them. 

"Memories I will always treasure… on the stage of the @royalalberthall with my angel [angel and white heart emojis]," the stylish blonde beauty, who wore a white jacket over a black skirt and boots, captioned the image. 

Nadiya posted the picture accompanied by Stevie Wonder's 1976 song Isn't She Lovely, which he wrote following the birth of his own daughter, Aisha Morris. 

The mum-of-one is dating her co-star on the BBC dance show, Kai Widdrington, who spent the afternoon apart from his beau, but appeared to have had a lovely time. 

© Instagram

Nadiya shared the adorable photo on social media

Taking to his own Stories, Kai re-shared an image of himself and his 2023 Strictly partner Angela Rippon, captioning it: "What a fab afternoon!" 

Angela wowed in a hot pink suit as Kai looked dapper in dark blue pinstripes. 

Posting the image of the pair posing with one of the performers from Swan Lake, the former newsreader wrote: "Introducing Kai Widdrington, world ballroom dancing champion and my Strictly partner, to his first classical ballet, Swan Lake. 

© Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock

The star is a proud mum

"Backstage meeting up with principal character dancer Gary Avis. And principals Sarah Lamb and Reece Clarke. What a brilliant afternoon."

Nadiya and Kai's sweet photos come soon after the loved-up couple celebrated an exciting milestone together. 

The couple marked the one-year anniversary of their stage show Nadiya & Kai: Behind the Magic with a fun behind-the-scenes glimpse, which followed them each expressing their hopes for the future of their relationship on Valentine's Day. 

© Instagram

Kai and Nadiya are so close

It's safe to say Kai is besotted with his beau and confessed she is "My Valentine forever," in a touching post on 14 February. 

The feeling is clearly mutual, with the mum-of-one posting her own Valentine's photo which showed herself and Kai kissing in front of a sculpture spelling out the word LOVE. 

Nadiya's dating concerns

Nadiya captioned the image: "Happy Valentine's Day," adding a heart emoji and the infinity symbol. Before falling in love with her Strictly co-star, Nadiya was engaged to Slovenian footballer Matija Skarabot, with whom she shares her daughter. 

© Ricky Vigil M/GC Images

The couple fell in love after dancing together

As she previously revealed in an exclusive interview with HELLO!, her little girl was Nadiya's main concern when she started dating Kai

"This was my first relationship after not being with the father of my daughter, and being a mother to Mila was and still is my priority," the professional dancer sweetly said.

© Getty

The couple have been dating since 2022

The pair initially kept their relationship under wraps but have increasingly made public appearances together, including showing off some moves on Loose Women recently. 

Strictly Come Dating: couples who met on the dancefloor

As well as Gemma and Gorka, there are several other loved-up couples who met during their time on Strictly

  • Janette Manrara and Aljaz Škorjanec met on Strictly in 2010, before marrying in 2017 and welcoming a baby, Lyra, in 2023.
  • Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev met during the 2013 series. They married in 2019 and have two children together.
  • Dianne Buswell and Joe Sugg fell in love while competing in 2018. They live together in Brighton.
  • Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton met in 2018 and welcomed a baby girl, Minnie, in 2023.
  • Max George and Maisie Smith shared their Strictly experience together in 2020, but didn't announce their relationship until 2022.
  • Tyler West and Molly Rainford starred in the 2022 series together and have been going strong ever since!
  • Kai Widdrington and Nadiya Bychkova are both professionals on the show, and began dating in 2022.
  • Kristina Rihanoff and Ben Cohen were partnered together on the show in 2013, confirming their romance in 2014. They share a daughter together, Mila, who was born in 2018.

The couple's family plans

Last year, Kai candidly opened up about his hope that he and his girlfriend will have children together

Speaking to Yours magazine, the professional dancer said: "Would I like a family of my own one day? Of course I'd love to be a father. We're busy at the moment laying the foundations for all of that".

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