‘DWTS’ Is Going to Be “Really Awkward Backstage” Due to Celebs Who “Have to Avoid Each Other”
The Traitors star Maura Higgins is gearing up for Dancing With the Stars and apparently the vibes on set are going to be somewhat awkward between her and pro Gleb Savchenko.
Some background: Maura is friends with Brooks Nader, who dated Gleb when she was on DWTS. And while gearing up for filming, Maura told E! News, “I’d be happy with anyone but Gleb,” adding that she’s “loyal” to Brooks and saying, “I don’t really like the way he speaks about women.”
Gleb did not take kindly to the comments, and a source tells The Sun that the vibes backstage will likely be awkward.
“Gleb thought Maura was out of line 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,” they said. “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. They’ll both be civil when they have to be as they are professionals, but they’ll essentially give each other a wide berth, which is a shame as usually the cast and the pros are like a big family during production.”
Gleb and Brooks on Season 33Eric McCandless – Getty Images
Meanwhile, “Maura is a girls’ girl, fiercely protective of her pals and doesn’t take any shit. She tells it like it is, and if Gleb is offended by that, then maybe he needs to take a harder look at how he behaves. Perhaps enough people haven’t called him out before, because he’s handsome and charismatic, he can get away with murder. But Maura isn’t the kind of person to go weak at the knees for a bad boy or excuse their behavior. She thinks he’s messy, chauvanistic and disrespectful, so she’ll be cordial but she won’t be mates with him.”
By the way, Gleb went ahead and gave a statement to The Sun about all this, saying, “Until I was asked to comment on this story, I’d genuinely never heard of this girl, Maura, so I’m certainly not going to lose any sleep over the opinions of someone I’ve never met. It’s odd to publicly attack someone you’ve never even met, but if that’s how she wants to make headlines before the show starts, that’s her choice. I’ll stay focused and leave the unnecessary drama to everyone else.”
Mmkay!
Dancing With the Stars season 35 premieres Tuesday, September 15, 2026.
You Might Also Like
