Strictly couple who found love on the dancefloor bring show to Glasgow

Except this love story, starring Strictly Come Dancing professionals Nadiya Bychkova and Kai Widdrington, got off to a bumpy start.

“It sounds like a real cliché, but the first time we danced together, we were just thinking – wow, what is this? This is incredible,” says Kai, slowly.

He pauses. “Well, I was thinking that, anyway,” he laughs. “It was amazing to dance with Nadiya.”

Nadiya interrupts. “Actually, the first time we danced together you ripped out my hair,” she says, straight-faced. “Which was NOT a very good start.”

Kai groans at the memory. “That is true, I was the new boy on Strictly, showing off, and during the routine, I accidentally pulled out Nadiya’s hair extensions,” he says, apologetically.

 “But AFTER that, it was amazing.”

Nadiya and Kai are popular members of Strictly Come Dancing's professional cast.

Nadiya has had mixed success with a string of partners, including sports presenter Dan Walker in 2021, with whom she came fifth.

Kai made it to the final in 2019 with his first partner on the show, AJ Odudu, but the couple sadly had to withdraw after AJ injured her ankle. Last year, he made it to Blackpool with former newsreader Angela Rippon.

Following in the fancy footsteps of many of their fellow Strictly pros, Nadiya and Kai are taking their own show on the road in the summer. 

Nadiya and Kai: Behind the Magic will arrive at the Pavilion Theatre on June 2, promising a glimpse behind the scenes of their life together, from TV shows and photoshoots to ad campaigns and live tours.

It follows the success of their first tour last year, Once Upon a Time.

“We always have the best time in Glasgow, the audiences are the best by a mile,” says Nadiya, smiling. “We don’t get much time off but when we can, we love early morning walks in the city, and the people are lovely.”

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She adds, with a laugh: “I need to rely on Kai to translate sometimes, though, because of the Glasgow accent.”

Nadiya, who has multiple dance titles to her name, including world and European awards, grew up in Ukraine; Kai, a professional dancer and choreographer who shot to fame after being crowned Junior World Latin American champion at the age of 16, is from Southampton.

“Our first tour was telling our stories, of growing up in very different worlds, me in Ukraine and Kai in England and our learning to dance,” says Nadiya.

“This tour goes behind the magic, it reveals a bit about what goes on behind the scenes. People are so interested in what happens on a TV show, for example, or in a movie. So, through dance we are trying to recreate a little bit of all of that, with the help of our wonderful choreographer Scott Caldwell.”

Kai agrees. “We go all the way back to the golden age of Hollywood, the silent movie area, Fred and Ginger, all of that,” he explains.

“None of us, not us nor Beyonce nor Bruno Mars, would be here without those pioneers of dance and in this show, we’re trying to bring them all back to life.”

Putting their own story out there is a brave move, but the couple are matter-of-fact about the decision to mix the personal with the professional.

“We don’t really have much of a choice,” says Kai, simply.

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“We’re in the public eye, on the biggest TV show in the world, so people want to know about us and our lives.

“And we’re very grateful to be able to travel around the UK, see so many beautiful places, and perform for people who have spent their hard-earned cash coming to see us.”

Nadia agrees.

“We’re excited to be at the Pavilion, we love the more intimate theatre spaces,” she says. “We want audiences to really feel part of the experience – you can do the best performance, the best show, but it’s the audience who make it special.”

While Behind the Magic includes many of the influences which have inspired Nadiya and Kai, the couple are proud of the impact shows like theirs, and the wider Strictly effect, have on viewers across the country.

“This really touches my heart,” says Nadiya, “because in my whole career, what makes me smile, is when a little girl comes up to me and says watching me dance made her take up lessons, or when an older person who has never danced before, says she decided to take a class …”

She pauses. “Dancing is good for you," she says. "It's good for your body and for your mental health, so if we can inspire people and bring a little of the magic to them, then that is incredible."

Nadiya and Kai: Behind the Magic is at the Pavilion Theatre on June 2.