MAURA Higgins hasn’t even hit the dancefloor on the US version of Strictly Come Dancing, but there’s already tension between her and one of the show’s hunky pros.
The Sun understands thatabout pro dancer Glen Savchenko didn’t go down very well with the hunky Russian.
British reality star Maura Higgins has been making her mark on America Credit: Getty
Maura’s new pal Brooks Nader met her ex-boyfriend Gleb Savchenko (pictured together) when they were paired together on Dancing With The Stars Credit: Getty
And now insiders are concerned it could create a cold front backstage when filming starts in less than two months time.
when she was asked who she wanted to be paired with out of the male pros, and wasted no time telling E! News, “I’d be happy with anyone but Gleb.”
She then explained it was because she was “loyal” and “friends with Brooks [Nader]”, the supermodel who dated Gleb after being paired with him on the 33rd season of the show, only for the pair to break up messily after their fling.
Doubling down,then went further, swiping: “I don’t really like the way he speaks about women.”
It’s fair to say Gleb, who briefly back in 2015, was not thrilled when he got wind of her public takedown of him.
An insider tells us: “Gleb thought Maura was out of line coming for him like that. He gets that she is being a good mate and sticking up for her friend, but she wasn’t in the relationship and doesn’t know all sides of it.
“It’s going to be really awkward backstage now. They’ll basically have to avoid each other as Gleb won’t be making small talk, and Maura’s not the type to back down either.
“They’ll both be civil when they have to be as they are professionals, but they’ll essentially give each other a wide berth, which is a shame as usually the cast and the pros are like a big family during production.”
Blonde stunner Brooks (pictured) alleged Gleb cheated on her and she’d seen messages on his phone Credit: Getty
Maura Higgins (right) and Brooks Nader (left) got close when Maura began to crack America, with the star also befriending Nicole Williams English (centre) Credit: @justtnic
As for Maura though, we’re told she doesn’t regret a thing she said.
“Maura is a girls’ girl, fiercely protective of her pals and doesn’t take any s**t. She tells it like it is, and if Gleb is offended by that, then maybe he needs to take a harder look at how he behaves.
“Perhaps enough people haven’t called him out before, because he’s handsome and charismatic, he can get away with murder. But Maura isn’t the kind of person to go weak at the knees for a bad boy or excuse their behaviour.
“She thinks he’s messy, chauvanistic and disrespectful, so she’ll be cordial but she won’t be mates with him.
“It is unfortunate for her that they are on the same show but she couldn’t turn down this huge opportunity. It’s the biggest thing that’s ever happened to her in America.
“ was a big deal, but that was on , which is a streaming service, whereas Dancing with the Stars airs on ABC, which is a huge broadcast network like the in the UK. She’ll reach millions of viewers a week and become a household name.”
“That said, it will be stressful enough hitting the dancefloor every week, so it’s not great that there is bad blood between her and Gleb,” The Sun’s source continued.
“She is telling herself to just focus on learning her routines and not get distracted by any outside noise, but she is concerned Gleb could make things frosty backstage.
“Maura doesn’t want anything to dim the shine on this amazing chance for her.”
on the 2024 season of Dancing With The Stars and began dating behind the scenes, although the romance was on and off after they left the show.
In April 2025, Brooks called time on the romance for good and called it a “disaster,” claiming Gleb had allegedly cheated on her.
On her Disney+ Hulu series, Love Thy Nader, she was seen breaking down in tears as she told how she went through his phone.
She then alleged to finding messages to other women arranging threesomes.
Gleb vehemently denied the cheating accusations and claimed they were an attempt to engineer publicity for Brooks’ reality show.
But while he did deny cheating, he didn’t mince his words about Brooks.
Opening up on his relationship with Brooks during Unwell Winter Games, a reality competition series on YouTube, Gleb made some wild claims about their sex life.
He said: “When I dated her, it was pretty bad.
“Probably the worst sex of my life. She was so f**ked up. She wanted to make out with me, and I was like, ‘That’s not my vibe’.”
Insiders tell us Gleb was not happy about the comments Maura made about him Credit: Getty
Maura made her American telly debut earlier this year on The Traitors US Credit: Peacock
But he didn’t stop there as Gleb also warned his fellow pro dancers not to “date your partners.”
“Don’t do it. Even if they really want to, don’t do it. Even if it’s gonna cost you a season, don’t do it. Don’t try to make it work,” he told US Weekly.
Appearing to shade Brooks , Gleb added: “Don’t do it because it’s like a box of chocolate. You never know which one you’re gonna get.
“Might be a really bitter one inside and they’re gonna f**k up with your whole life. You know what I mean?”
Brooks confessed on Watch What Happens Live With back in December 2025 that she started being “intimate” with Gleb “the day I met him.”
She was and explained how she begged ABC bosses to pair her up with the “hottest” and “douchiest” pro dancer on the show.
Brooks said: “I felt as though there was so much sexual tension on the first day we met that it would just get worse and worse, and I just wanted to… see what we’re working with.”
said of Gleb: “I don’t really want to spend all my time with someone like that.
“I’m like, no thank you.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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