Strictly Come Dancing stars Kai Widdrington and Nadiya Bychkova were all smiles as they held hands in Manchester on Thursday night (April 29). The pair were snapped after they completed the opening night of the Strictly Professionals tour at The Lowry Theatre in Salford.
Rumours of the pair being in a relationship have been swirling for months, and they now appear to have thrown fuel on the fire. Nadiya, 32, looked stylish in a white trouser suit and comfortable trainers as she walked alongside Kai, 26, who wore a black hoodie from Fear of God's Essentials collection which he teamed with a pair of black ripped jeans, matching trainers and a baseball cap.
Their smiley appearance comes after the pair shared a flirty exchange on social media. Ahead of their first show on the tour, with some of their Strictly co-stars including Gorka Marquez, Karen Hauer, Gorka Marquez, and Graziano Di Prima, Naidya took to Instagram with a photo of the pair which was taken as they appeared on The One Show last week.
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It showed the Ukrainian-Slovenian and Kai - whose first series of Strictly in 2021 saw him make it all the way to the final before AJ Odudu suffered a devastating injury, forcing them to pull out - with her writing; "Can't wait @strictlycomedancinglive. It's opening night and I am so excited to finally perform for you."
She then tagged Kai's own Instagram account, adding a heart emoji. He replied: "Let’s go," with a wink face and red heart after sharing the same post to his own thousands of followers where he wrote: "Tonight’s the night @strictlycomedancinglive pro tour opening. Salford we are ready [winking face emoji] @nadiyabychkova."
Earlier this month, Nadiya appeared to confirm she was seeing someone following her split from her fiancé, Matija Škarabot, as she posted a photo of her and her new beau at a restaurant holding hands across the table. She added a love-heart emoji at the bottom of the snap but didn't divulge who the mystery man was.
Nadiya and Kai were joined by their fellow Strictly stars as they left The Lowry on Thursday, including Karen Hauer who gave awaiting fans a glimpse at her rock hard abs while wearing a cropped black top and matching black leggings. Preparing for the chilly weather, she threw on a blue velvet blazer as she smiled for the cameras.
Dianne Buswell was also snapped as she left the venue, where they'll perform twice again on Friday (April 29) before moving on for shows across the country. She wore a white T-shirt with the words 'I am, I can, I will' on the front from her very own range, Buswellness apparel, which she revealed earlier this week.
Prior to hitting the stage, the stunning red-head shared her joy at being back on stage. "Big day today. It’s opening night of strictly live pro tour," she said. "I haven’t been on stage for two and a half years so this is going to feel so special tonight. My fellow pros and I have worked so hard these last few weeks to put on this amazing show for you all. Let’s do this !!!!! @strictlycomedancinglive."
And following the performance she took to her Instagram Story to re-shared a video which had been posted of the applauding audience as the stars gave their final bows. "Cannot tell you how amazing how amazing this feeling was to be on stage again," Dianne, 32, wrote. "Bringing joy to people. Happy tears."
Meanwhile, Graziano and Katya Jones appeared thrilled with how their evening went as they posed together outside the venue. Katya appeared to be wearing the matching velvet tracksuit bottoms to Karen's jacket as she added a sky leather blue jacket and pair of comfy trainers to her end-of-night look.
Graziano dressed all in black for his outing and appeared to be holding a purchase he had made earlier while hitting the shops in the city with Kai and Gorka. Gorka had taken to Instagram earlier in the day to share a snap of the trio picking out some new trainers at KershKicks. "Took the boys for some shopping," Gorka said.
Earlier this week the Spanish dancer, who is engaged to Bury-born actress Gemma Atkinson, told us that fans can expect “joy” as the Strictly Professionals tour returns after two years away with some of the biggest routines from the Saturday night favourite as well as performances that give a nod to things that have inspired and their own backgrounds.
He also shared his excitement at being able to open the show in the city he now calls home. "I love to perform everywhere but when I perform in Manchester, which is like my hometown now… I just love Manchester," Gorka told us. “I think it is the best city in the world. Everybody there is so welcoming and friendly and when they come to watch the show they are up for a night out. They’re very involved, giving us the energy. It’s amazing.”
