Strictly’s Nikita Kuzmin cried ‘tears of joy’ when reunited with Dani Dyer

Professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin has revealed he cried “tears of joy” when he was reunited with Dani Dyer on Strictly Come Dancing and would have been “jealous” to see her with someone else.

The pair have been coupled up again on the 2026 series after Dyer was forced to drop out of last year’s show when she fractured her ankle during rehearsals.

After learning they would be partners again, Kuzmin said: “When they announced both of us being together, my right eye was having tears of joy, I don’t know why not the left one. I was feeling so much joy.”

He added: “Not gonna lie, I was worried if she went to somebody else, I was going to get jealous because she’s my partner and if I see her with someone else, I’ll be like, ‘oh my goodness’.”

Dyer admitted she was “devastated” when she had to leave the competition last year but was “so excited” to be paired with Kuzmin again.

Kuzmin added: “She kept messing with my head, ‘no, they definitely won’t put us together’.”

Dani Dyer said she was ‘devastated” when she had to leave Strictly early last year (Jeff Moore/PA)

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Dyer added: “I just didn’t think they would! But when they said it, I was like, ‘oh my God’.”

Asked about her dancing skills, Dyer said: “I loved it when I was little. I’m alright.

“I’m good when I’m out with my friends and you’ve had a few drinks, you can’t get me off the stage.”

The former Love Island winner said the cha-cha-cha is the dance she is most excited to perform.

The reality star, who is the daughter of former EastEnders actor Danny Dyer (left), said her family are ‘buzzing’ to watch her on the show (Ian West/PA)

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The reality star, who is the daughter of former EastEnders actor Danny Dyer, said her family are “buzzing” to watch her on the show over the coming weeks.

The other celebrities taking part this year are actress Melanie Walters, former England footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips and Australian singer Delta Goodrem.

They are joined by actress Lacey Turner, celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton, Love Island winner Cach Mercer, presenter Will Best, Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey, actresses Jaime Winstone and Bethany Antonia, dog trainer and presenter Graeme “The Dogfather” Hall, Emmerdale’s Lawrence Robb, Olympian Tabby Stoecker and sports content creator John Nellis.

Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturday evenings until December 19 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.