Walking The Dog with Emily Dean - Nikita Kuzmin (Part One)

Episode Date: May 5, 2026

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 https://nikitasupernova.uk.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: https://www.instagram.com/emilyrebeccadeanX: https://twitter.com/divine_miss_emWalking The Dog is produced by Will NicholsMusic: Rich JarmanArtwork: Alice LudlamPhotography: Karla Gowlett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I did terrible. I did terrible. Absolutely terrible. Why, but you're so good. Oh no, no, no. I was a disaster class. This week on Walking the Dog, Ray and I went for a South London stroll

with professional dancer and strictly come dancing star, Nikita Kusman and his adorable chihuahua, Mabel. And having watched how diligently Nikita is training this little puppy, I can honestly say, if you want a happy, well-behaved dog, take it to a Strictly come dancing pro.

I genuinely think he'll have her mastering of Viennese waltz by next week. So Nikita has obviously become something of a firm favour on Strictly through his partnerships with contestants like the wonderful Leighton Williams and Amber Davies. But he's also got a really fascinating origin story and we talked about all of it from his childhood growing up in Ukraine, the move his family made to Italy to help him and his system. to pursue their passion for dance, the five languages he speaks, and of course, the huge moment

in his life when he got the call up to appear on Strictly, which has inevitably changed his life. I mean, you'll hear during our walk just how many people love this man and approach him on a daily basis. Just, FYI, only one person approached me and Raymond, and that was a child informing me that Ray looked like a cloth. Nikita and I also chatted about his brand new live dance show Supernova, which he's so excited to perform. It sounds absolutely incredible. And yes, I will be going myself.

So don't miss your chance to see it. It's touring the UK throughout June and July, and you can book your tickets now at niquita supernova.uk. Ray and I absolutely loved our walk with Mabel and Nikita. He's incredibly warm and charismatic. and clearly so passionate about what he does. But he also seems to be very healthily uninvested in the whole idea of being a celebrity.

In fact, he even said to me at one point, stop calling me famous, I don't like it. And when Nikita tells you to do something, trust me, you listen. Really hope you enjoy our walk. I'll stop talking now and hand over to the man himself. Here's Nikita and Mabel and Ray Ray. We're going to go over here, Nikita?

Yeah, well, we're just going to go there. Lovely. Do you usually keep them on the lead? Well, I'm carrying mine, as you see. Are you going to carry her? No, not in the common, no. Not in the common. Nikita's already telling me off.

No, what's what you mean? Yeah, you've been a doggone for longer than I have. You know, it's like, it's a little bit like when you get your first child and you're like over, overdue on safety and all that. Are you, I stopped crossing the road on the red light, like, everything is, you know. everything is if somebody comes close to her and I'm really careful with them you know let's cross here Nikita you see because I'm a lot older than you whenever I hear your name I do think of the Elton John song yeah yeah yeah yeah people say a lot

to you a lot a lot yeah yeah it's a beautiful song it's a gorgeous song it's a gorgeous song right now I don't remember it but do you not remember it sometime yeah I've heard it some time ago that's not what you were named after though is it quite a common name in Ukraine Nikita I don't know I don't actually know what I've been named after. You never asked your parents? No. I'm going to ask my mom, yeah.

Will you ask her tonight? Definitely my mom probably decided, but... It's a good question. I think we should ask her. Maybe they just like the name. I don't know. What have you been a name after? Emily. I was named Emily after.

There's a poet called Emily Dickinson. And I was named after her. Well, that's a good one. But I asked the question, Nikita. You asked the question. So I'm not asked the question. What am I'm curious? Right.

put Raymond down. Come on Raymond. Oh look. Maybe might need a poo. We might need to go to the toilet. I've got poo bags. Have you got poo bags? Of course I do. I'm a dog owner now. Are you getting used to the whole? So Nikita I am so excited. I know I shouldn't have favourites, but you are my favourite. Do you say to everybody? Did you say to every single person? Yes. Yeah, you do. Of course you do. No, this is genuine. No it's like this is genuine in your case. Sometimes. Sometimes. Like people come to me like they ask for pictures to hear you're my favorite I'm like I know you just said it So I'll yes right there I know you just did that because I heard you I heard you don't need to lie to me

Let's go kitty well I've had a few strictly's on I was telling you I've had Shirley Ballas Layton oh we're curious we're making friends I've also had Jeanette manrara Yes I'm going to see Jeanette's show tonight Are you? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Come on Aliasch. Look at this. Now, Nikita, this is what Raymond does on walks.

But she smell... Everything. Everything. You see, she's usually right here. Every time she sees any kind of long grass, she's just gone. Like, we can never find her again. But right now, she's very excited just to run, like, freely at the common.

It's our new thing. She's a cute pie. We should formally introduce her because she's a chihuahua. She's a long-haired chihuahua. Is that important? I don't know, maybe. I don't know if that makes a difference. Wow.

That's what I've been told, okay? No one is long-haired when you've got Ray in the building. Oh, Raymond is cute. Can you see what's happening, Nikita? I can see what's happening. I got the same bags as you do. How are you finding the whole poo thing? Well, if I'm being completely honest, at the beginning,

I obviously knew that that was coming. Because I do the evening walks, my girlfriend, Lauren, She does the morning walks, but I am not great with anything kind of a little bit gross. But I'm sorts of accepting it, and in the love of my child, I'm going to carry her anything. Yeah. Whatever she wants. It's what you do for your children, Nikita. Absolutely.

Raymond, you're so much calmer than Mabel. Actually, Nikita, I have to take a picture of you with both dogs. You look adorable. So we're in South London. Yes, that's my favourite common. Yes. and we're walking the lovely Mabel. Yes.

And can you tell me a bit about how Mabel came into your life? Because she's a really recent addition, isn't she? She is. Yeah, we have her since, what, like three months now, I think. And to be honest, I always dreamed of having a dog. Did you? Oh my gosh, yes. Like, obviously I love, I absolutely love to bits my cats, but I always crave for a dog.

So for me now to actually have a puppy, it's just so nice. It's so lovely. All right, Mabel, come here. Come here. I'm going to free you. Come here. Nikita? Yes.

I have never seen teenage girls so excited in my life when they saw you. They were screaming. Oh my God, oh my God. You must get that a lot, do you? Well, from time to time. But you know, like the lovely thing about it is that I think, Strictly audience is the nicest audience ever. So, like, I hardly never get...

I think they're coming over. I'm going to make it easier for them. Do you want to say hello to Nikita? I could hear the squeals. I heard the squeals, so I thought I'd make it easy for you. This is Nikita. Mabel. Good girl.

Oh, I didn't know you around this area. Are you filming off? Yeah, we're doing a podcast right now, but yeah, I live around here. I do you? Yeah, I do. Come on in, Lally. What's your name? Lily to meet you.

as well. You want to come the other side? Thank you. Oh my gosh, my hair is blowing wind. A bit like mine, yeah. Thank you so much. Nice to meet you. See you later. Oh, isn't that nice, Nikita? I reckon you've got really nice fans, don't you? They're the best. Mabel. Oh, Mabel, embarrassing. She's okay. Mabel. She just want to play. Mabel. Raymond. You want to play with Mabel? You want to play with Mabel? Oh, he likes Mabel, Nakeda. Yeah. They're friends. little dog. So go on, tell me about your story about getting her. She's so friendly, look, she's running over to everyone. Yeah. No, it's always been a dream come true to do. Really?

Absolutely. I had a dog for a brief period of time when I was a kid, but that was my mom's dog, and I was never really, I was still too young. Yeah. And ever since we've been moving so much that I was never really allowed to have a dog. And the cats have been always traveling with me, you know? Do you have cats then as well? I've got three cats, yeah. I have them. I have them since now six years. And how, really? What are their names? So it's Leo, he's six.

Bagheera, she's five and a half. And Jelly, she is now three and a half. And how has Mabel got on with the cats? Good girl. Good girl. Mabel, well, she's slowly getting along with each one of them. Hang on one second, we got another autograph request. God, you're a popular boy, aren't you?

It's okay. You really are, Nikita. Hello. Hello. We've got a little retrievers come to see. Even the dogs. Hi buddy. He can smell the snacks.

I mean, this dog is ignoring me. I've never been, you're such a, look at this celebrity obsessed dog. I'm sick of it, Nikita. What about me, dog? It's okay. It's okay. Hello, darling. Hello, can I have some love?

have some love do you know what I noticed you're putting the discipline into this that you put into your dancing I mean this I've never been with a dog owner who's so disciplined what you mean I mean like I just think it's so much safer for her and so much easier afterwards if you just treat them nice but you also just make them understand how to recall how to like it makes people feel safer if you go to the park you can let them off the leash without being scared yes I get all this but most people are lazy and they can't be bothered and they just say, oh, let me cuddle the dog and eat chocolates on the sofa.

No, no, no, we don't do that. We go to puppy classes. We have a weekly puppy class. Do you? Absolutely. So you're a very disciplined person, aren't you? I'm getting from this. Maybe, maybe too much sometimes.

Are you? Control freak? A little bit. Love it. A little bit. But I'm learning at the moment. I'm learning how to let it go. I'm learning how to just let life be.

Are you? It's probably making me, also happier in life to be honest and let's go back to your you were telling me that you had a dog when you were younger look he does walk very slow Nikita yes Raymond um that that was in um ukraine wasn't it yeah it was in ukraine yeah and who were you was it you and your mom and your dad you have my sister yeah i know about your sister because she is on the italian strictly she's on the italian strictly yeah isn't that amazing yeah she's been there she's been doing it what for now for 13 years. So growing up in Ukraine what did your parents do and what was your

childhood like? Well my parents had a sort of like a touristic agency but for dancers so they used to accommodate basically well I would say like half of the dances of Ukraine from a Latin dancers to transport at the time there used to be really not many planes or planes used to be a bit too expensive so we used to take those coach rides or which my mum used to organise with like three double-decker buses for three days in a row all the way like to Netherlands. They sorted all the travel logistics out for ballroom dancers. Yeah, yeah.

And was that because they had a history of being in dance themselves? No, not at all. My mom just loves Latin music. Mabel, come here. She's chasing the phoenix. Come here. Good girl. Good girl.

Who's a good girl? Good girl. Go! She's running over to that half-maked man. Yeah, she's already. I don't like that about Anagita. We could have gone to anyone in the whole park. Plus this is her favourite park.

Sand? Sand. That's right as well, look. Like once we're in sand, we're just obsessed with it. Do you want to... Oh, hello, Mabel. Raymond. Now we're going crazy.

Look at Women. Do you want a snack? Is he allowed? It's ostrich. Yeah. It's a ostrich. Yeah. They love it.

In our puppy class, we discovered that Mabel. Good job. Mabel. In our puppy class, we discovered that that's her favorite snack, because we've tried every snack, and she's too fussy. Hey, it's dropped it, and you've got sand on it now. Hang on, let me give it to you. Mabel, Mabel's going to get this if you don't eat it, Raymond.

You're very good with him. He's such a cutie fire. Oh, my God. Do you know what? I wanted to raise an old-school gentleman. Do you know what I mean like that? school gentleman yeah oh Nikita that's made my day like an old-fashioned gent he's like a suit on on Raymond would be great good

able able do you know what I wanted Nikita I wanted when you see Raymond I wanted the music that you would think of in the background to be like a classical music I thought you about to say James Bond because Raymond gives me a lot of James Bond vibes, you know? He could be James Bond's dog. Really? Yeah, because he's so innocent by so stern. So stern. Look at him. Mabel's like all over the place and Raymond is just... Yeah, Mabel's a bit more like Austin Powers. Oh, Austin Powers, yeah. Oh my gosh, that's a good resemblance. It's really good resemblance. It's really good resemblance.

Oh, that's the I bring that. One million dollars. Yeah, but enough about your strictly fee. Let's... Let's talk about Ukraine. I wish. I know, right? I wish. Because I'm fascinated by your parents. Your mom liked Latin music and that's why she set up this travel company.

Yeah, well, some kind of. She was like she's a big business woman and she and my dad, they work together. So they're both into the same. They've been working together now for, I don't know, for like 30 years. And your dad, so they work together. They work together. Everything they do is work together. Yeah.

And were your parents kind of strict or were they, what sort of parents were they like? What was your household at moss like? I wouldn't say they are overly strict. I think all of that strictness was not really necessary, except maybe to make me study when I had too much training and I was a little bit tired. Mabel, good girl. So I think they are not, they are strict when they have to. to be but I don't think they are like extremely strict I don't think they're like

what you would classically think about like Eastern European family and all that they kind of don't is that what people tend to think then the Eastern European is yeah yeah no more disciplined sort of we are like we are not really are and obviously because once you go Mabel come here come here good girl I am disciplined and obviously to do it with sports and doing with dancing and in order to even do all the things that I had to do as a kid as a teenager and live with myself. You kind of have to be having that kind of balance in life. But you must have been raised a bit with discipline.

No, definitely, definitely. Which is good, right? Because that's why you're quite driven now. Yeah. I just think I always see my parents as really hardworking and they've been just really working, they bumped off to be polite to make me and my sister give us a future you know i mean they did everything for us and we are in italy it's all because of them you know and were you sort of i suppose by ukrainian standards would you say you were just a middle class regular family yeah we're

absolutely regular family really you weren't wealthy or anything like that mabel Mabel. Come here. No, we have an absolutely regular family. And so I'm thinking at this age, you're in Ukraine until you're nine. Correct, yeah. And what do you like at school?

I'm allowed to say this because I'm older than you, so it's not creepy. You're very handsome chap, obviously. So I'm assuming, oh, Mabel's going over to another naked man. I'm getting sick of this, Nikita. It's embarrassing. She's a girl.

She's a girl. Let her do her things. Mabel. He looks like he's on strict. Mabel, come here. Mabel, come back. Yeah, he's very stripped. He looks like he's on the street, in the nudist week.

So when you're at school, are you super popular? Are you very confident? I think not at all. I kind of, you know, I didn't really have time. time as a kid or as a teenager as much time as I wanted to to actually spend time with friends and I'm really now I think now that I'm a little bit older in life yeah I wish that I did because I think normality and just like normal things just like having your school friends going on school lunches I don't know but just playing some video games afterwards being a kid it's actually really

lovely why didn't you do that then Nekita I didn't have the time because every day After school, I used to go home and quickly eat and then go to training and then from training. And training being dancing. Yeah, yeah, it's all been dancing. So tell me, well, we need to go back then to find out why you got so involved at such a young age. Was it just a parent that you were talented? Was it your parents coming in saying, oh my god, look at Nikita dancing. Ah!

How did it start? Mabel, come here. I see a husky. Good girl. Good girl. Good girl. Good girl. I think, you know, I think I just, I had success as a kid. Yeah. Quite quickly and quite a lot of it. But I never really thought about anything because I was just going to training. I used to do just a thing that I love. But how did you know you were good at dancing? When was the first time you remember? Well, because I was winning competitions. But free competition. You don't just enter a competition. There's a point in which you're at home and your dance. And you're dancing.

Really? Well, I think in Ukraine, it's kind of like you take professionally whatever you do. You don't just go around and just, you know, try sports. You know, like a little bit like here or in Italy, like kids are allowed a bit more, I think, to just try out. I think in Eastern Europe, you kind of just like, so you decided you want to do this. Great. You better be good at it now. So, and if you are good at it.

I've seen those documentaries about the. the Russian ice skating coaches. Yeah, it's not that bad. No, no, no, not that bad. I used to... Mabel. Mabel. Come here.

Come here. Come here. Good girl. It's nothing like that. But what I mean is when you're three, two or three, do you remember dancing to a song thinking, I'm enjoying this? Yeah. No, I loved it.

Did you? I generally loved it. I generally loved. Maybe I loved every part of it. I was probably dancing a lot of things. Come on. Oh. Mambo number five. I remember Mambo number five.

You know what used to be my favorite song? Not for really for competition, but just like as a fun for kid. To listen to? Crazy Frog. I, crazy Frog on the same Christmas, well, for us was New Year's. I got a CD of Crazy Frog because of what I asked. That was like my number one request. And then my number two request was Justin Timberlake. Because he had sexy back then. Sexy back.

Exactly that one. With the trill, the white trilby? Exactly, all that. So that album, I have a CD at home in Ukraine. So would you have started doing the dances of Sexy Back and thought, oh, I'm going to do this? Kind of is. My sister used to be obsessed with MTV, right? Because MTV used to be big at a time with all the music videos and all that. And we were watching like all these dances and like all of the Britney Spears at a time, you know. Don't doon, doodoo, do do do down down down. And yeah. And did you, would you? Would you? Would you? Did you do your own choreography or copy the choreography when you were watching it?

No, I used to think as a kid, it used to be too probably. Shy? No, too, too stubborn. I used to think I'm really good at everything. Yeah. Well, I kind of like was learning dancing, so I didn't really care about the choreography that much. But that's what I want to get to is how did you know you were good at dancing? Did someone say, did someone watch you dancing and say, Nikita's good at dancing? He should enter competitions? I think I had very, very encouraging family.

encouraging family. Mabel, come here. I had an incredibly encouraging family. Yeah. And they spotted your talent basically. I don't know, I think they just you won't admit to having talent, will you? Well, no, of course, but talent is such a, talent is such a vague word. Like talent is sure people have talent, but everybody has a talent. Like, it's not a, you know, it's not, I don't believe the talent itself is a thing. I know what you mean. Well, they do say with kids now, don't they? That you should never say to a kid, the worst thing, particularly in the arts, is to say to a kid, you're talented.

Yeah. Or you're special. Yeah. Yeah. What you have to say is, it's great how hard you're working at that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you agree with that? Absolutely.

Is that what your parents did? I think my parents just encouraged me no matter what. Right. Like all the time they used to just tell me that what I'm doing is great. Like if I used to dance in front of them every night. Just showing... So did you say, ladies and gentlemen, this is the Nikita show? So every kind of like birthday or thing or like family dinner,

which used to be a lot of them back then, we used to every time do a show or like, Mabel. Mabel, come here. Mabel. She's too curious. Mabel. It's a big dog.

We used to, every night there used to be anything, any kind of important vent at home. We used to always perform me and my sister. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, we used to love it. And it was always dancing, was it? Mabel. Mabel, come here. Mabel.

Not new this man. What is that? What's it? Mabel. Mabel. Mabel. Come here, no, come here. Come here.

Mabel. Good girl. We'll have to get rid of the man though. Yeah, I think we found our weakness. I think Mabel really loves... Leave it. Mabel likes Nudies. Really like a nudist man.

You're already entering competitions. I think that just comes automatically when you do anything professionally in Ukraine. You just go for comps. You go for comps. Really? My first competition was a couple of months after I started dancing. I was still full. I was four-year-old just stumbling around.

I don't know before. I have a video of it. Oh, I'd love to see that. I bet it's so adorable. It's very cute. Not great dancing, but very cute. And were you quite a resilient child? I suspect you were, because when you put yourself through competitions and stuff like that,

you've got to get used to hearing sort of know and come on, you've got to improve, or, or did you get quite good at sort of picking yourself back up, as it were? Hmm. When you, you know what I mean? When someone tells you. No, I know. I'm just, I think it's a good question. I, you know, I generally don't think much about my childhood as a,

any kind of like used to be resilient or you need to pick yourself up. Because I remember mostly success and I kind of tend to forget all the moments and which obviously were quite a lot as well when you used to not win and the things. I think you need to give a lot to like coaches and parents because they can change the way you react to stuff like that. So because if the parents and the coaches, they kind of think, oh, okay, you went out of the second round or you didn't make the final or whatever. If they make it a thing, then you will always be upset about every single kind of thing that doesn't go well in life or in competitive career. But if they actually make it, oh, you actually did great. you did better than last time or you did or it was a good result for you today you know like

if they make it a positive thing yeah then your mentality as a kid as well you don't even think about it you know it's like when babies drop like sometimes babies fall right yeah when the parents react badly like they are in shock obviously because it's so scary then the baby cries but sometimes when the parents just love them and then the baby loves as well yeah it's kind of like that kind of a mentality i think well it's the same with dogs i find well yeah well yeah Yes, but she's running away. Mabel! Come here.

So, at what point when you were nine? Yes. You went to live in Italy. And why was that? Oh, Mabel, come back. Come here. When you moved to Italy? Yeah.

Why, what was that move about? I think generally it's because my parents wanted a better future for me, my sister. It was probably all, like, not probably. it was all because of that. I think they sacrificed absolutely every single thing for themselves, for like from them, anything they had, any friends, any money that we had at the time, it was all just, all just for me and my sister.

Yeah, that's what I'm saying, like, I do own everything, everything to them. And obviously, like, it took a lot from my grandparents as well to support all of that because they've been helping as well in every single way they can. Yeah. When you arrived in Italy, could you speak Italian or was... We started, I think, taking lessons about like two months before we moved. Yeah. But no, I couldn't. Not at all.

I think, but as a kid... Did you pick it up quickly? It's so easy to pick up languages. It's so much harder. Like, when I started to learn German, it was 20 times harder. Is it? Yeah. As a kid, you don't think.

If a kid, you don't think about everything, right? But you speak, how many languages? Five now. Well, we're pretty cool. love to say that I could speak like six and have like Chinese. I think Chinese would be really like a cool thing. This is typical, Nikita. I mean, most people would be happy with five. No, yeah, I always do one more. It always has to be the glitter ball. It does, yeah. I don't know. I don't have nothing in between. So you go to Italy, you start learning Italian. What do you make of Italy? Do you like being in Italy? Does it feel very different to growing up in Ukraine, I imagine?

I loved it. I generally did. I think me and my sister we absolutely loved it. I think it was more really harder for my parents because they were as well older to learn the language and just to adapt because they have a whole life. And it's culturally very different. Oh, it's completely different. Yeah, you know, it's completely different. But no, me and my sister, we were so happy. And I think my parents also did a fantastic job to hide every single bit of struggle, which I only kind of, I only understood later in life that was like, oh wow, that must have been hard. I could just see every single decision and things that they just try to protect me from, you know? And what sort of struggle? We're talking financial struggle mainly? All sorts of struggle, yeah. But we're talking about financial struggle, yeah, absolutely. Italy, you know, like Ukrainian money, Grimna, it's not such a strong currency in comparison to an euro. Even worse to a pound, but in Italy it's euros.

So, yeah, plus other things. It's quite hard to adapt. So, but you did adapt. Presumably, as you said, it was easier for you and your sister. It was, but it's all thanks to my parents again. Mabel, come here. Did you start feeling, did you always feel Ukrainian, or did you start feeling more Italian?

That's a really good question, you know, because as a kid, again, I was... Because you look quite Italian. I think it I think it's it really changed me from the outside a lot. It gave me a lot of like culturally like cultural moments a lot of like jeez and jazz just like a lot of like jazzed up a lot. Yeah, as well with all the earrings and the hair and all of that. A bit more flamboyant Italians. Oh absolutely absolutely absolutely but I think at the time when I was a teenager I felt Italian.

When I was a kid obviously I was Ukrainian because I used to be there. but then when I used to grow up and already once I moved here then it's where I actually understood okay no I'm I am Ukrainian that is me I have a lot of Italian so I do have a lot of tendencies of things which obviously living half of my life there influenced a lot the Italian well the Italian temperament the cliches that you know a bit fiery bit temperamental I think no I definitely I definitely I'm passionate, but I think in this case, Britain has helped me a lot, like being in London, being with my girlfriend who is teaching me like, all right, so this is like slowly, slowly, you know, we can be calm.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we can express our emotions and things very nicely. And I think that's, I'm becoming pretty good at that, you know. I'm generally, I'm so proud of myself in that way. I'm becoming really great. The thing that I think it's really useful to learn, which is quite a British thing, and I think it's a British superpower. What, please and thank you. please and thank you, but also Mabel

learn to be comfortable with discomfort so you know when you feel uncomfortable about a feeling I think it would be maybe we would associate that with more passionate kind of European qualities that you jump in and say what's going on whereas in the UK way is a bit more

okay I don't have to say anything here I can just I know what you mean do you know what I mean? Yeah yeah yeah I know what you mean I can tolerate the discomfort Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Of... People are very calm.

Yeah, calm. Unless they're driving cars, then suddenly for some reason everybody's shouting. Although Italy's not great for that. No, no, no. But there is beeping, it's different. And then plus, when people shout,

yeah, it's honestly, it means nothing. I know. It's just like, we can shout each other, we can swear each other off. I'm not sure how to say politely that. You can swear, it's fine. No, I'm not going to swear.

You're a good boy. Oh, look, has you done a poo-poo? I don't think she does. She crouched. Let's have an examination. So in Italy, are you dancing in Italy then? Is it clear? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

No, we moved for dancing. We moved for better life, but we moved because Italy was really strong at dancing as well. Is it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So do you go to a strict academy with Italians shouting for you? I don't think anything can be stricter than Ukraine, to be honest. I don't think it's, I don't think it's, I think there are levels.

Ukraine sounds so strict. I think there are levels to this game, you know, and I think. Once you kind of grew up in a very kind of like strict environment, I think everything afterwards is kind of chill. Ukraine sounds really strict. There is an academy in Italy, which was quite strict and was really good for me. Mabel. Do you want it? And are you thinking at this point?

Yep. I'm going to be, this is what I want to do. But you couldn't have envisaged that you were going to end up getting one of the biggest gigs in dance now. Because... Oh, not at all now. So what are you thinking? thinking are you thinking musical theatre at that stage? Oh no I think I want to I just want to win the World Championship there was like right so there was my clear

goal was from when I was a child with ball and dancing absolutely I used to it was to every single thing that I've ever done in my life every country I've ever lived in every single bit of training was always to win the same thing obviously there are other championship which you win in in the middle of it which is like I don't know like the nationals and regionals and blah blah blah but I think always in my mind it was always just to be the number one in the world. So always very driven and ambitious. Yeah, well, yeah, yeah.

Mabel, good girl. I'm interested in people with your level of, you know, discipline and... Well, we didn't have also, like, I think once, like in Boland Malta, you don't have it's like musical theaters, like theater worlds and different shows. I think there is just one goal for everyone and it's just to be the number one overall. You know what I mean? There is no space kind of for anything else. I think with like drama and theatre and musicals there you have so many plays.

You have so many kind of like favorite things that you could be possibly wanting to do with in our world. It's just like one goal. But did that mean I mean you went to this academy, presumably you had friends and went to a normal school. Does that make you feel a bit other and it sets you apart? Because it's a little bit different from a lot of guys your age, especially in Italy, quite a macho culture in some ways. And you're saying, oh, I want to do ball and dancing. Yeah, literally, yeah, I think up until the age of 13, 14,

I used to be really insecure about it. Really? When in Ukraine, I could kind of like fight back, because that's what the boys do there. And it used to be just part of the way I used to live. In Italy, you need to, if you want to fight back, you can only fight back with words. I kind of like slowly, slowly learned how to just ignore it for the moment.

And once I got kind of like probably over the age of 14, I actually understood that it's a pretty great thing, to be honest. So instead of being insecure about it, it suddenly became, it shifted on its head. And this is where like, I always try to tell kids like things are actually, both, especially born boys. I know that it's hard in the moment and people make, but be making fun of you at the moment but trust me just wait with time it's going to be great it's going to work out it's going to work out yeah and that is to do with kids sometimes

on mabel's found a new friend mabel come here good girl good girl kids sometimes can be a little bit sort of fearful of difference Nikita i think if you're not different like in in some way like you're not being yourself, honestly. If you're trying to fit in the box, it just... It just is more. You don't need to try it to be different because trust me, every single person is,

but you definitely don't need to hide or fit in. If everybody thinks go for the grey trousers, don't go for the grey trousers. Go for the colour that you want. Go for your instinct. What does your heart tell you, know what I mean? I love that. Yeah.

I love that. You can be more mental. You can wear... You're wearing a... dog t-shirt. How many people would have gone for it? But yet it's so freaking cool. I mean, I feel you've kind of insulted me that Keating. No, but how many people would go for that? No, but it's true. Like, it's so freaking cool. Like, I would have stopped you in the road to say, I like, I love it.

Oh, that's made my day. Because it's so, it's so cool. When you're in Italy and you're getting very serious about your dancing, yeah. Is this the point at which you realize you have diabetes? Or was it prior to that? Um, no, I've been, So I've been in Italy for a while Then I went to Denmark Oh my God Why don't you go? Well yeah there used to be

I just split from a partner in Italy Split from a partner Yeah so like in couples In dance couples when you split from the partner I used to split you go separate ways And you find your awkward When you split from the dance partner Oh it was sad

Oh it was very sad It was very sad But you kind of in the dancing world You straight move to the next thing so you try to find a new partner you try to think what's in the future mean well you train by yourself you know and you've discovered you had diabetes was that before you've headed off oh no that's when so we've been in Italy then I moved to Denmark and I came back from Denmark to Ukraine that's where I

discovered it so I actually discovered in Ukraine Mabel come my snack come on Mabel good girl come on come on come on I'm determined to get a picture of Mabel. Good girl. Mabel. Mabel. Oh yes. Good girl. Nikita, look at me.

Oh, she's okay. She's choking. She's reversed, sneezing. Oh, Ray does that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Roman, you're with your best friend. Are you all right, darling?

Come here. So tell me what happened when you found out you had diabetes. That must have been quite a shock. a shock had you had you realized something was wrong well what I have realized it at the time is that like I did what I lost vision in a way that I couldn't see clear anymore from like literally suddenly as I was walking into the tube in Ukraine and then later on I also in that week that there was been like a week when I lost vision and I was losing weight I lost seven kilos like in five days

because obviously when you discover diabetes your sugars are very high extremely high so yeah I was not eating just drinking water because you body really with one's water and then my dad being diabetic he spotted it because we went with my mom to this Ukrainian restaurant and I couldn't eat my favorite thing because I was simply not hungry and then my dad brought me to the hospital in the middle of a night and that's what it told me that it's happening and yeah at the beginning I thought everything was done and over I was mostly thinking not really about life or like anything else I was just thinking my career I like the first thing I

thought I remember in my brain it was like I'm done with dancing because to me dancing was just like everything the same as now really so yeah at the moment I thought it was all finished but luckily straight afterwards the day after oh they dropped the ball the day after in the morning I saw I walked out of this room where there was used to be like six kids there used to be all diabetic and on the right side of the wall there was this like wall of fame of all the famous diabetic people presidents Olympians by Olympians and that kind of made me go oh okay cool it's all fine I'm just gonna carry on just gonna do this

same thing as I did before, just now with diabetes. And you wear, you still have to wear, is it a, sorry, excuse me. A sensor? Is it called a sensor? Yeah, I have a sensor here, yeah. Yeah. And so you have it. You don't have to, but it's life is way easier.

Do you have it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think it's also a lovely thing because it kind of makes me people understand that you do have diabetes and often people like, it's kind of like representing my, you know, my community. Yeah, I like that. Because people have said they can see your sensor when you're wearing it sometimes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I think, isn't that nice that?

Oh, it's so lovely. Yeah. It's so, so lovely. And what does the sensor tell you then, Nikita? She will go around you. The sensor tells you that it just... Tells me my sugar levels, where they are now, and where are they going to be kind of like where they're heading to, mostly. Right.

Yeah. Have you ever had a moment on strictly when you've thought, okay, I'm not feeling so great. Or are you... Oh yeah, definitely. Really? A billion times, absolutely. And what happens?

During theatre shows, during, yeah, of course. It happens all the time. And what do you do? Well, not all the time, but, like, it just tends to happen, especially, like, in any circumstance where I do feel the nerves and I get quite nervous on the show or before anything, really. Does that cause your, is that, does that result in a spike then or something?

My nerves always cause me a spike. Right. Absolutely. That's tough, isn't it, with the nature of what you do, if you're performing. Yeah, no, it's not. doesn't help it makes it rather hard but again I always think there are worse things in life and it's okay as long as you kind of can control it as long as you kind of just calm yourself down I try to meditate always to calm

myself down and then sugars suddenly drop and they drop and that's where you need to then kind of just rebalance them make sure that they don't spike again I didn't know that that came into it that sort of mental health thing as well that it's connected or anything honestly anything anything anything regarding if I'm anxious, if I'm nervous, if I'm happy, if I'm relaxed. That affects it? Yes. How much sports do I do today?

How much sports did I did yesterday? Which kind of sport I did for how long? Which kind of food I had yesterday or today or when? Anything. If I'm ill, if I'm sick, if I feel great. Every single thing that you might think you have in life. Yeah. It all goes into it.

And you just need to have accountability over it. And then just make really just like the best decisions you can do. That's not like I'm saying always to people like when they ask me, how do you manage your day? I just try to do my best. Yeah. And there is literally nothing more that I can tell you. Nothing more. I just try to do my best.

And I say, I never say no to anything. Like if you want to run a marathon, yeah, I can. Hell yeah. Did you run the marathon? didn't you? Yeah, yeah. I ran a couple now. The last one was the London one. Did that was recently? Yeah, it was a Sunday. It was really great. And you did that for diabetes. Diabetes UK, which is amazing. I've been working with them now for five years. They're great. They're really, really great. A marathon to someone like you, I mean, that's nothing.

Well, you say that, but for example, on the day of the marathon, my sugars weren't completely down, more than I've ever experienced. So at a certain point, I just couldn't see anything anymore. So I had to literally start walking because otherwise also just collapse on the floor. And you have to take, do you have to take stuff with you for them? You know, you can't, because I noticed, I saw on your Instagram, you're packing sort of pouches, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And what's that for?

99% of the time it works to bring my sugars back. What is that stuff then? Is that just glucose. It's energy gels. I have glucose gels. I have energy gels. I have carb gels. I'm carrying so much weight on me.

It's, it's that, that jacket. It is so heavy. But yeah, it's all for good, you know. I really hope you love part one of this week's Walking the Dog. If you want to hear the second part of our chat, it'll be out on Thursday, so whatever you do, don't miss it. And remember to subscribe so you can join us on our walks every week.