Table of Contents
Nikita Kuzmin: The Strictly Pro’s Full Story in 2026
Nikita Kuzmin has gone from a nine-year-old who left Ukraine with nothing but a suitcase and a love of ballroom to one of the most recognisable professional dancers on British television. He has partnered six celebrities on Strictly Come Dancing, reached the 2025 grand final, finished runner-up on Celebrity Big Brother and headlined his own arena tour. But most people searching his name only get half the picture, usually a wiki-style stat sheet or an outdated net worth guess. Here is the fuller story, checked against the record.
Who Is Nikita Kuzmin? A Quick Introduction
Nikita Kuzmin is a Ukrainian-born dancer, choreographer and television personality, best known as a professional dancer on BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing since 2021. He was born on 23 December 1997 in Kyiv, Ukraine. He is a six-time Italian Champion in Latin and Ballroom. Before joining Strictly, he built his reputation on the German dance competition Let’s Dance and on the competitive circuit across Europe.
Away from the ballroom, Kuzmin is known for two things that go beyond dance. He has lived publicly with type 1 diabetes since his diagnosis at thirteen. He also finished as runner-up on Celebrity Big Brother in 2024. In 2025, he reached the Strictly final for a second time, this time with Love Island winner and West End performer Amber Davies.
Quick facts table
| Category | Detail |
| Full name | Nikita Kuzmin |
| Born | 23 December 1997, Kyiv, Ukraine |
| Occupation | Dancer, choreographer, presenter |
| Known for | Let’s Dance, Strictly Come Dancing, Celebrity Big Brother |
| Titles | Six-time Italian Champion, Latin and Ballroom |
| Strictly debut | 2021, series 19, partnered with Tilly Ramsay |
| Best Strictly result | Joint runner-up, 2023 (with Layton Williams) and 2025 (with Amber Davies) |
| Sister | Anastasia Kuzmina, professional dancer on Ballando con le Stelle |
Early Life: From Kyiv to the Italian Ballroom
Kuzmin started dancing at four years old, though by his own account he originally wanted to learn karate. His family moved from Kyiv to Italy when he was nine, a relocation driven largely by support for his older sister Anastasia’s own dance career. That move turned out to shape his life too. Training in Italy’s competitive ballroom scene, he built the technical foundation that would later make him a six-time Italian Champion in Latin and Ballroom.
At eighteen, Kuzmin relocated again, this time to Frankfurt, Germany, where he continued competing and coaching. It was in Germany that he first stepped in front of television cameras, joining the professional line-up of Let’s Dance, the German equivalent of Strictly, for its thirteenth season in 2020.
Building a Champion: Nikita Kuzmin’s Competitive Dance Career
Before any television appearance, Kuzmin’s name was already known on the international Latin and Ballroom circuit. His six Italian Championship titles sit alongside results at events including the WDSF North European Championships and the Austrian Open. He also worked within Strictly judge Motsi Mabuse’s dance company in Germany, a connection that predates his BBC career.
That competitive grounding is a big part of why Kuzmin’s routines on Strictly consistently score well with the judging panel: his technical precision in Latin numbers, in particular, is frequently singled out for praise, even in seasons where his celebrity partner has limited prior dance experience.
His pre-television résumé also includes a semi-final appearance at the WDSF North European Championships in the adult Latin category, a quarter-final finish at the German Closed championships, a fourth-place result at the Austrian Open and a category win at the Thessaloniki Dance Festival in the under-21 division. Together, those results place him firmly among the more decorated professional dancers to join Strictly in the last decade, rather than a newcomer learning the format on air, which is one reason his choreography tends to lean into ambitious lifts and formation work that less experienced pros avoid.
Nikita Kuzmin’s Signature Style: What Makes His Choreography Stand Out
Strictly viewers and judges alike tend to point to the same handful of qualities when they talk about a Kuzmin routine. His Latin work, particularly Paso Doble and Argentine Tango, draws on his competitive background and often carries more drama and sharper lines than routines choreographed by pros with a purely show-dance background. Judges have repeatedly praised his sense of timing and stagecraft. They also point to his willingness to build routines around a story rather than just a sequence of steps.
That storytelling instinct is also part of why his celebrity partners tend to speak warmly about him once their run on the show ends. Several, including Amber Davies during the 2025 series, have described him as a patient and encouraging teacher who adapts his coaching style to a partner’s confidence level rather than pushing a single method on everyone, which matters in a format where celebrities arrive with wildly different levels of prior dance experience.
Joining Strictly Come Dancing: How Nikita Kuzmin Became a Fan Favourite
On 26 July 2021, Kuzmin was confirmed as one of four new professional dancers joining series 19 of Strictly Come Dancing. He said at the time that he had always been captivated by the show no matter which country he was living in. He called joining the professional line-up his chance to make magic on British television’s most famous dance floor.
His first celebrity partner was TV presenter and social media personality Tilly Ramsay, with the pair eliminated in week 10. In the years since, Kuzmin has built a reputation as one of the show’s most consistent and technically gifted professionals, culminating in two trips to the grand final.
Nikita Kuzmin’s Strictly Come Dancing Partners, Year by Year
Strictly partnerships table
| Series | Celebrity partner | Result |
| 2021 (series 19) | Tilly Ramsay | Eliminated week 10 |
| 2022 (series 20) | Ellie Simmonds | Eliminated week 5 |
| 2023 (series 21) | Layton Williams | Joint runner-up |
| 2024 (series 22) | Sam Quek | Eliminated week 5 |
| 2025 (series 23) | Dani Dyer, then Amber Davies | Runner-up |
The 2025 series brought one of the most talked-about storylines of Kuzmin’s Strictly career. He was originally paired with Love Island winner Dani Dyer. She withdrew days before the first live show after fracturing her ankle in rehearsals. Amber Davies stepped in as a late replacement. With Kuzmin coaching her from a standing start the pair went on to reach the final, ultimately finishing runner-up to footballer Karen Carney and professional partner Carlos Gu.
Life With Type 1 Diabetes: Nikita Kuzmin’s Advocacy Work
Kuzmin was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of thirteen. He has spoken openly about managing the condition while training and performing at an elite level. He wears a continuous glucose monitor that has been visible during his Strictly performances since 2021, a detail that resonated widely with viewers managing the same condition.
Since going public with his diagnosis, Kuzmin has become an active campaigner around type 1 diabetes awareness, using his platform to show that the condition does not have to limit ambition, whether that is a live arena tour or a season of competitive ballroom dancing on national television.
Beyond the Ballroom: Celebrity Big Brother and Solo Touring
In 2024, Kuzmin stepped away from partner dancing to enter the Celebrity Big Brother house, where he finished as runner-up. Housemates and viewers responded well to a side of him rarely seen on Strictly. The appearance broadened his profile well beyond the show’s usual audience.
The following year, he launched his first solo live show, The Midnight Dancer, before headlining a larger production in the summer of 2026: Burn the Floor presents Nikita Kuzmin: Supernova. Created with BAFTA-winning choreographer Jason Gilkison and produced by international dance company Burn the Floor, Supernova toured UK arenas and theatres through June and July 2026, with guest appearances from fellow Strictly professionals including Karen Hauer, Nadiya Bychkova and Janette Manrara. The UK leg of the tour has now concluded.
Nikita Kuzmin’s Personal Life: Family, Relationship and Interests
Kuzmin has an older sister, Anastasia Kuzmina, who is herself a professional dancer, best known for competing on the Italian version of Strictly, Ballando con le Stelle. He has spoken publicly about the emotional toll of the invasion of Ukraine on his family, including concern for his grandmother, who remained in the country. He has also described how much it means to have his parents watch him perform in London.
As of the most recent reporting, Kuzmin is in a relationship with model Lauren Jaine, who has been a visible and supportive presence at Strictly events and was one of his most vocal supporters during his Celebrity Big Brother run. She has been photographed at the Strictly studios cheering on his routines and posted publicly in support when he entered the Celebrity Big Brother house.
Outside of work, his talent agency lists his interests as cooking, marathon training, video games and animals, with several pets at home. He has previously described learning to cook from his mother. He also keeps close ties with his family despite years of living across three different countries, a pattern that started with the move from Ukraine to Italy and continued when he later settled in Frankfurt, Germany, before eventually basing himself in London for his Strictly career. Marathon training in particular stands out as a departure from ballroom’s short, explosive routines. He has spoken about using distance running as a way to cross-train and manage his fitness around a demanding Strictly schedule.
Height, Age and Net Worth: Separating Fact From Speculation
As of 2026, Nikita Kuzmin is 28 years old, born 23 December 1997. Beyond age, several commonly searched figures about him are inconsistent across the low-authority sites that publish them and should be treated with caution rather than taken as confirmed fact.
His height has been reported anywhere from 5’8″ to 6’0″ depending on the source, with no single figure independently confirmed by his management. Net worth estimates are similarly scattered, ranging from roughly £1 million to $3 million across various uncredited celebrity-net-worth sites, none of which cite verifiable financial records. Readers searching for a precise figure should treat any specific number they find elsewhere as speculation rather than a confirmed fact, since no official figure has been published by Kuzmin or his representatives.
What’s Next for Nikita Kuzmin in 2026 and Beyond
With the Supernova arena tour now wrapped, attention turns to whether Kuzmin will return for another series of Strictly Come Dancing and whether a new solo touring production will follow. Given his run of two grand final appearances in the last three series and his growing profile beyond dance, from reality television to solo touring, his next moves are likely to stay firmly in the spotlight.
There is also a wider industry pattern worth watching. Several Strictly professionals who have built solo shows, including Kuzmin’s own Supernova collaborators Karen Hauer, Nadiya Bychkova and Janette Manrara, have gone on to tour repeatedly rather than treating a first solo production as a one-off. If Kuzmin follows that path, a second UK tour or an international leg would not be a surprise, particularly given how well Supernova’s arena dates sold across its June and July 2026 run. For now, fans hoping for news on either front are likely watching the same two places he tends to announce things: his Instagram account and the official BBC Strictly Come Dancing channels.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Nikita Kuzmin?
Nikita Kuzmin was born on 23 December 1997, making him 28 years old as of 2026. He was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, before his family relocated to Italy when he was nine.
Where is Nikita Kuzmin from?
Nikita Kuzmin was born in Kyiv, Ukraine. His family moved to Italy when he was nine to support his sister’s dance career. He later relocated to Frankfurt, Germany, at eighteen, where he began his professional television career on Let’s Dance.
Who has Nikita Kuzmin danced with on Strictly Come Dancing?
Since joining Strictly in 2021, Nikita Kuzmin has partnered Tilly Ramsay, Ellie Simmonds, Layton Williams and Sam Quek. In the 2025 series he partnered both Dani Dyer and her replacement Amber Davies. His two strongest results came with Layton Williams in 2023 and Amber Davies in 2025, both ending as runner-up.
Did Nikita Kuzmin win Strictly Come Dancing?
No, Nikita Kuzmin has not yet won Strictly Come Dancing outright. He reached the grand final twice, in 2023 with Layton Williams and in 2025 with Amber Davies, finishing as runner-up on both occasions.
Does Nikita Kuzmin have diabetes?
Yes. Nikita Kuzmin was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of thirteen. He manages the condition with a continuous glucose monitor, which has been visible during his Strictly performances. He is also an active advocate for diabetes awareness.
Is Nikita Kuzmin still touring in 2026?
Kuzmin headlined the arena and theatre tour Burn the Floor presents Nikita Kuzmin: Supernova through June and July 2026. That UK leg has now concluded. No further tour dates have been confirmed at the time of writing.
Final Thoughts
Nikita Kuzmin’s path from a nine-year-old leaving Kyiv to a two-time Strictly finalist and solo arena headliner is a rare combination of technical dance pedigree and genuine television likeability, built on more than a decade of competitive training before he ever stepped onto the BBC’s dance floor. His openness about living with type 1 diabetes has made him one of the show’s more meaningful advocates, well beyond the sequins and scoreboards. If you enjoyed this profile, browse more of MapleStar Magazine’s Lifestyle coverage. Better yet, share this piece with a fellow Strictly fan who has been searching for the real story behind the highlight reels.
The Maple Star Magazine editorial team is responsible for the accuracy, structure, and publishing standards that every article on this site is held to. This includes verifying sources before publication, maintaining consistency across our Travel, Technology, Lifestyle and revisiting published guides as facts, pricing, or industry standards change. Content published under this byline reflects collaborative editorial work rather than a single author's individual reporting.
