Nikita Kuzmin (Part One)

This week Emily and Ray take a South London stroll with Strictly Come Dancing favourite Nikita Kuzmin , joined by his adorable Chihuahua, Mabel. Nikita chats to Emily about his journey from growing up in Ukraine to moving to Italy as a child to pursue dance with his sister, and the moment his life changed when he got the call to join Strictly . They also talk about his partnerships on the show, including his much-loved routines with Layton Williams and Amber Davies , and how he’s navigated the sudden attention that comes with it. On the walk, it quickly becomes clear just how popular Nikita is, with fans stopping to say hello throughout. Ray, meanwhile, receives exactly one comment, from a child who thought he looked like a cloth. Nikita also shares his excitement about his brand new live dance show Supernova , which is touring the UK throughout June and July. Tickets and dates are available at . It’s a warm, open and genuinely charming conversation with someone who clearly loves what he does but keeps his feet firmly on the ground (apart from when dancing), even if he’d prefer not to be called famous. Follow Emily: Instagram: X: Walking The Dog is produced by Will Nichols Music: Rich Jarman Artwork: Alice Ludlam Photography: Karla Gowlett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can listen to Nikita Kuzmin (Part One) online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Nikita Kuzmin (Part One) is an episode from Walking The Dog with Emily Dean.

This episode is 45:21 long.

This episode was published on May 5, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Walking The Dog with Emily Dean when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.