Former Love Island UK star Maura Higgins has kicked off rehearsal training for Dancing With The Stars in black legwarmers inspired by the movie Flashdance.
The 35-year-old reality television personality looked raring to go for her first day of practice in the rehearsal studios on Saturday. She shared a picture of her dancewear on Instagram, showcasing her impressive abs in a lemon yellow crop top teamed with loose trousers and flip flops.
"LETS DANCE," Higgins captioned her social media post ahead of the official reveal of her professional dance partner for the upcoming season.
Her outfit choice resembled American actress Jennifer Beals, who famously wore black legwarmers in the iconic 1983 dance drama film Flashdance. Higgins shot to fame in the United States earlier this year following her appearance on the reality competition series The Traitors, having previously risen to prominence on British television's Love Island UK in 2019.
Training attire and television background
While Higgins shared her excitement at joining the hit American show, a spin-off of the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, she has already sparked controversy by publicly ruling out one potential dance partner.
The Irish television star expressed hopes that she will not be paired with Russian professional dancer Gleb Savchenko, stating she does not agree with the way he talks about women.
Higgins explained that she is remaining fiercely loyal to her best friend and former Dancing With The Stars contestant Brooks Nader, who previously dated Savchenko.
Speaking to E! News, Higgins said: "I'd be happy with anyone but Gleb. That's only because I'm loyal and I'm friends with Brooks [Nader]."
"I don't really like the way he speaks about women," Higgins added. "I don't really want to spend all my time with someone like that. I'm like, no thank you."
Controversy over potential dance partners
Savchenko responded to Higgins' comments in an exclusive statement to the Daily Mail, explaining that he had never heard of the star prior to the story.
"Until I was asked to comment on this story, I'd genuinely never heard of this girl, Maura, so I'm certainly not going to lose any sleep over the opinions of someone I've never met," Savchenko said.
He added: "It's odd to publicly attack someone you've never even met, but if that's how she wants to make headlines before the show starts, that's her choice. I'll stay focused and leave the unnecessary drama to everyone else."
Higgins is hoping she will instead be paired with professional dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy, having previously performed alongside him for a promotional video.
Gleb Savchenko response and past relationship
The comments from Higgins follow recent controversy involving Savchenko, who previously branded his ex-girlfriend Nader "the worst sex" he had ever had.
Speaking to Dakota Mortensen, the former partner of reality television star Taylor Frankie Paul, the ballroom dancer claimed: "When I dated her, it was pretty bad. Probably the worst sex of my life."
Savchenko also claimed that the Louisiana-born model often pushed their intimacy to a rough level that made him uncomfortable.
Savchenko and Nader began dating in the autumn of 2024 after being paired together on Dancing With The Stars, with romance quickly developing during their rehearsals. However, Nader hinted at a breakup in an October 2024 TikTok video following a series of disagreements.
An insider told US Weekly during the autumn of 2024: "Gleb got way too comfortable, especially in the amount of time he was spending at Brooks’ home, to a point it had begun to concern Brooks’ people and family close to her."
The couple appeared to reconcile the following month when Nader welcomed Savchenko to her family's Thanksgiving dinner. They ultimately ended their relationship in April last year, with Savchenko later telling Page Six that he was caught off-guard by the final split.
