Gleb Savchenko says he never heard of Maura Higgins

Dancing with the Stars professional Gleb Savchenko has responded to remarks by incoming celebrity contestant Maura Higgins, stating he had "never heard of" her before she publicly said she did not want to be paired with him. The exchange, reported by multiple outlets on August 4 and 5, 2026, highlights existing tensions linked to Savchenko's past relationship with model Brooks Nader, a friend of Higgins.

Higgins, a 35-year-old reality television personality from Ireland set to compete on the show's upcoming 35th season, told E! News in May that she would be "happy with anyone except Gleb." She cited her loyalty to friend Brooks Nader, who was Savchenko's partner and subsequent girlfriend during the show's 33rd season in 2024, and stated, "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."

Savchenko, 42, issued a statement to several publications on August 4 addressing Higgins's comments. "Until I was asked to comment on this story, I'd genuinely never heard of this girl, Maura," he said. "So I'm certainly not going to lose any sleep over the opinions of someone I've never met." He called it "odd to publicly attack...