{"id":777,"date":"2026-08-05T15:20:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T15:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/2026\/08\/05\/gleb-savchenko-responds-after-maura-higgins-says-she-refuses-to-partner-with-him-on-dancing-with-the-stars\/"},"modified":"2026-08-05T15:20:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T15:20:10","slug":"gleb-savchenko-responds-after-maura-higgins-says-she-refuses-to-partner-with-him-on-dancing-with-the-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/2026\/08\/05\/gleb-savchenko-responds-after-maura-higgins-says-she-refuses-to-partner-with-him-on-dancing-with-the-stars\/","title":{"rendered":"Gleb Savchenko Responds After Maura Higgins Says She Refuses to Partner with Him on \u201cDancing with the Stars\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Gleb Savchenko said it is \u201cdisappointing to be judged based on a one-sided version of events rather than the facts\u201d <\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/BoTRsyHthCH1XOQxslL9r6PPLss=\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)\/maura-higgins-1-248c768ab748424da91ff8217f315948.jpg\" alt=\"Maura Higgins; Gleb SavchenkoCredit: Getty(2)\" title=\"Two individuals a woman on the left and a man on the right photographed separately and shown side by side\" \/><figcaption><i>Maura Higgins; Gleb Savchenko<br \/>Credit: Getty(2)<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Gleb Savchenko responded about Maura Higgins said she doesn\u2019t want to partner with him on <em>Dancing with the Stars<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Higgins said in May that she doesn\u2019t \u201cwant to spend all my time with someone like that,\u201d pointing to his past with her friend Brooks Nader<\/li>\n<li>\u201cIt\u2019s disappointing to be judged based on a one-sided version of events rather than the facts,\u201d Savchenko said in a statement<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/maura-higgins-manifested-2026-sports-illustrated-swimsuit-show-debut-exclusive-11990564\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\">Maura Higgins<\/a> doesn\u2019t want to tango with <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/gleb-savchenko\/\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"2\">Gleb Savchenko<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Traitors<\/em> alum, 35, <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/all-about-dancing-with-the-stars-season-35-12028210\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\">will compete on <em>Dancing with the Stars<\/em> this fall<\/a>, and she said in a May interview with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1432438\/dwts-maura-higgins-doesnt-want-gleb-savchenko-as-partner\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"2\">E! News<\/a> that she isn\u2019t interested in partnering with Savchenko, 42, due to his past with her friend <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/brooks-nader-11824834\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"3\">Brooks Nader<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>DWTS<\/em> pro responded in a statement to PEOPLE on Tuesday, Aug. 4. \u201cUntil I was asked to comment on this story, I\u2019d genuinely never heard of Maura, so I was quite surprised to learn she\u2019d spoken about me so negatively,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve never met, and she doesn\u2019t know me personally, so it\u2019s disappointing to be judged based on a one-sided version of events rather than the facts.\u201c<\/p>\n<p>PEOPLE reached out to reps for Higgins and <em>DWTS<\/em> for comment.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/_t191KeUwfGfCjrqNqvKnCsgCbE=\/fit-in\/1280x960\/maura-higgins-2-cb819860e9824978820a0460968305ca.jpg\" alt=\"Maura Higgins in New York City on July 29, 2026Credit: GC Images\" title=\"Woman outdoors wearing a gray outfit\" \/><figcaption><i>Maura Higgins in New York City on July 29, 2026<br \/>Credit: GC Images<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Savchenko\u2019s statement comes nearly two months after Higgins\u2019 interview with E! News, during which she was asked what she\u2019d want in a potential pro partner for season 35.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d be happy with anyone except Gleb,\u201d she said at the time. \u201cThat\u2019s only because I\u2019m loyal and I\u2019m friends with Brooks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/people-news-daily-newsletter-sign-up-8692701\">PEOPLE\u2019s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n<p>Savchenko and Nader, 29, partnered up for the show\u2019s 33rd season in 2024. The pair sparked romance rumors during the show, <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/dancing-with-the-stars-brooks-nader-and-gleb-savchenko-split-source-8734841\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\">split<\/a>\u00a0that October when Savchenko sent Nader a cryptic breakup text, and a source later told PEOPLE in April 2025 that Nader suspected he cheated on her and called things off. Savchenko has <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/gleb-savchenko-slams-cheating-claims-after-brooks-nader-breakup-relationship-guy-not-f-boy-11720688\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"2\">denied<\/a> the allegations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t really like the way he speaks about women,\u201d Higgins said of Savchenko in May. \u201cI don\u2019t really want to spend all my time with someone like that. I\u2019m like, no thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Higgins is boarding <em>DWTS<\/em> this season alongside fellow reality star <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/ciara-miller-host-love-island-usa-aftersun-11971255\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\">Ciara Miller<\/a>, Savannah Bananas player <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/baseball-player-finds-joy-savannah-bananas-after-mlb-dreams-exclusive-11785560\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"2\">Jackson Olson<\/a>, and Jimmy Kimmel\u2019s comedy partner <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tv\/jimmy-kimmel-live-guillermo-rodriguez-abc-featurette-exclusive\/\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"3\">Guillermo Rodriguez<\/a>. The remaining celebrity contestants will be unveiled on <em>Good Morning America<\/em> on Wednesday, Sept. 2.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>While speaking with PEOPLE about a recent partnership with Wingstop in June, Higgins said fellow <em>Traitors<\/em> competitor and <em>DWTS<\/em> pro <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/mark-ballas\/\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\">Mark Ballas<\/a> gave her the inside scoop on the competition series.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMark had said to me, \u2018It\u2019s literally a marathon,\u2019 and he was like, \u2018It\u2019s intense,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve never done anything like that. So I was like, oh, maybe I should relax before I go into training.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For her approach this season, Higgins said she\u2019s \u201cjust going to try my best\u201d and, \u201cI\u2019m just going to bring my own flavor to it and bring my personality and my charisma and try my best because I have two left feet, honestly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Dancing with the Stars<\/em> season 35 premieres with a two-night event starting Tuesday, Sept. 15, on ABC and Disney+. Episodes stream the next day on Hulu.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gleb Savchenko said it is \u201cdisappointing to be judged based on a one-sided version of events rather than the facts\u201d Maura Higgins; Gleb SavchenkoCredit: Getty(2) NEED TO KNOW Gleb Savchenko responded about Maura Higgins said she doesn\u2019t want to partner with him on Dancing with the Stars Higgins said in May that she doesn\u2019t \u201cwant [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-everything-else"],"wpmagazine_modules_lite_featured_media_urls":{"thumbnail":"","cvmm-medium":"","cvmm-medium-plus":"","cvmm-portrait":"","cvmm-medium-square":"","cvmm-large":"","cvmm-small":"","full":""},"categories_names":{"1":{"name":"Everything Else","link":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/category\/everything-else\/"}},"tags_names":[],"comments_number":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=777"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}