Strictly star Nikita Kuzmin was quick to close down Richard Madeley‘s line of questioning during an appearance on GMB today.
The dancer made an appearance on the ITV show on Thursday (March 20) to chat about his solo tour and the upcoming series of Celebrity Big Brother.
But when the topic of his family – who are living in Ukraine – was brought up, it seemed Nikita was keen to move on.
Richard Madeley quizzes Strictly star Nikita Kuzmin
Appearing on GMB, Nikita was quizzed by Richard about how his family are doing living in Ukraine.
“I must ask you, how is your family doing back in Ukraine?” the long-running TV host asked.
Appearing taken aback, Nikita then slowly replied: “They are okay.”
Quizzing him further, Richard went on to press: “Are they heavily affected by what is happening or are they managing to live a normal life?”
‘I will not get into that’
Nikita then replied: “Well, I think everybody is heavily affected by what is happening and I think especially with the recent news, which is all political.
“I will not get into that,” he stated, taken aback. “But yes, they are okay. I speak to them all the time.”
For the first few years of his life, Nikita lived in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, with his parents and older sister, Anastasia.
Aged nine, his family moved to Italy in order for Anastasia to pursue a dancing career. What’s more, Anastasia also competed on the Italian version of Strictly, Ballando con le Stelle. And in 2012, she won the show with Andrés Gil.
Anastasia has turned her hand to presenting too. She hosts shows in Europe such as Dance Battle and Happy Dance.
Nikita Kuzmin on his family
In 2022, Nikita opened up about his fears for his loved ones amid the Ukraine-Russia war. Speaking on TV, he revealed how his grandparents, aunts and uncles were trapped in the nation.
“It’s quite difficult, therefore I try to…,” he said, before adding: “I call my grandparents every single day. It’s really important for me to know what’s happening,” he said.
He also shared a picture of himself with one of his grandmothers, after she escaped war-torn Ukraine for the safety of Poland. “Just so happy to be together,” he said at the time.
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