Maura Higgins says she won't pair up with DWTS pro due to 'how he talks about women'
Maura Higgins says she won't pair up with DWTS pro due to 'how he talks about women'
Niti Majethia Tue, August 4, 2026 at 1:40 AM UTC
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Maura Higgins said she would stay loyal to her friend Brooks Nader (Image: Billboard via Getty Images)
Maura Higgins has refused to partner with Gleb Savchenko on her upcoming Dancing With The Stars stint next month because she isn't happy with the "way he talks about women."
The 35-year-old Love Island UK and Traitors star mentioned Gleb's name while reflecting on who she doesn't want to be paired with, and said she will remain "loyal" to her best friend and former DWTS contestant Brooks Nader, who dated Gleb. Along with Summer House's Cierra Miller, Maura was one of the first celebrity contestants announced for Season 35 of the popular dance competition show.
Brooks, however, has moved on and was believed to be dating Rocketman star Taron Egerton earlier this year.
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Brooks and Gleb dated while they were partnered on Dancing With The Stars in 2024, and the former couple went through a "messy" breakup. "I'd be happy with anyone but Gleb," Maura told E! News. "That's only because I'm loyal and I'm friends with Brooks [Nader].
Maura added, "I don't really like the way he speaks about women. I don't really want to spend all my time with someone like that. I'm like, no thank you."
Brooks Nader dated Gleb in 2024 (Image: Disney)
The Sun reported that Gleb was not happy with Maura's condescending comments towards him. A source told the outlet that Gleb thought Maura was "out of line for coming for him like that."
"He gets that she is being a good mate and sticking up for her friend, but she wasn't in the relationship and doesn't know all sides of it. It's going to be really awkward backstage now. They'll basically have to avoid each other as Gleb won't be making small talk, and Maura's not the type to back down either."
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Gleb made some condescending comments about Brooks after their relationship ended, adding that she was "the worst sex" he ever had.
Maura Higgins said she wouldn't want to spend all her time with Gleb (Image: Variety via Getty Images)
"When I dated her, it was pretty bad. Probably the worst sex of my life," he said at the time.
Gleb also claimed that Brooks was "so f---ed up."
"She wanted to make out with me, and I was like, 'That's not my vibe,'" he said. Gleb also claimed that Brooks "choked me, pushed me against the wall, chipped my tooth."
Brooks revealed in an October 2024 TikTok clip that the pair had decided to split.
"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," a source told US Weekly about the couple's split.
Maura was announced as a contestant on the popular dance competition show in April, having previously stated that her "dream partner" would be DWTS pro and three-time champion Mark Ballas.
Season 35 of Dancing with the Stars kicks off on ABC and Disney+ on Tuesday, September 15, at 8 PM EST.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
