Dan Walker’s Strictly dance partner Nadiya Bychkova has split from her fiancé, MailOnline can reveal.
Nadiya, 32, is single after ending her engagement to Slovenian footballer Matija Škarabot, the father of her five-year-old daughter.
A source told MailOnline that Nadiya, who came fifth with BBC Breakfast presenter Dan, 44, on last year’s Strictly, realised her long-distance relationship with Matija, 33, wasn’t working and, while they continue to co-parent their daughter, they are no longer a couple.
Split: Nadiya Bychkova has separated from her fiance Slovenian footballer fiancé Matija Škarabot (pictured above when the dancer wished him a happy birthday on Instagram)
Nadiya, 32, came fifth with BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker (above) on last year’s Strictly
An insider revealed: ‘Nadiya and Matija haven’t been together for some time now.
‘Matija is dedicated to his footballing career in Slovenia and Nadiya is predominantly based in London.
Single: Nadiya has recently stopped wearing her diamond engagement ring (pictured)
‘Performing on Strictly and the Strictly Live Tour takes up half her year, in the end the commitment to their jobs made it too difficult for the relationship to work.
‘There’s still a lot of love and respect between them and Mila is and always will be their priority.’
Matija no longer follows Nadiya on Instagram while the Strictly professional last posted about the footballer in June.
Alongside a photo of Matija and their daughter Mila, Nadiya said: ‘Happy Father’s Day @Matija_Škarabot This beautiful connection between daughter and father is so important. Makes me so happy to see this kind of moment between them.
‘Thank you for being the best dad to our beautiful little girl. We love you.’
A representative for Nadiya refused to comment when approached by MailOnline, and Matija also declined to comment.
In recent weeks, Nadiya, who was previously married for two years to Russian dancer Sergey Konovaltsev, has stopped wearing her diamond engagement ring, and the couple no longer interact with each other on social media.
Nadiya was pictured last week at a reunion night with her co-stars Walker along with Kia Widdrington and Tilly Ramsey as the group enjoyed dinner at a London hotel
Close: Nadiya and her Matija will continue to co-parent their five-year-old daughter together
Over the years Nadiya has shared her love and admiration for Matija with her 129K Instagram followers, but the star has refrained from posting about her personal life since splitting from the sportsman.
The Ballroom and Latin champion was partnered with BBC’s Dan on Strictly last year and the pair have since become close friends, regularly sharing Instagram updates about each other on their respective profiles.
In November, Dan met Nadiya’s ‘beautiful mum and daughter’ over dinner, with the Strictly dancer commenting: ‘What a lovely evening. Thank you partner. Now let’s do a few more sets of three before tomorrow’s studio time.’
Dan, who’s been married to wife Sarah for 21 years, and has three children, commented on one of Larisa’s Instagram pictures in October, saying ‘your daughter is amazing.’
Dance partners: Nadiya and Dan recently enjoyed dinner with her mother and daughter with the BBC host commenting: ‘What a lovely evening. Thank you partner.’
Rising star: Nadiya, a former Playboy model from Slovenia, first found fame on her home country’s version of Strictly, before joining the popular UK series in 2017
The pair have been busy rehearsing for the Strictly Live Tour, which begins this Thursday in Birmingham and runs for just over three weeks.
Nadiya first found fame on the Slovenian version of Strictly, before joining the UK series in 2017.
She has been partnered with the likes of former EastEnders actor Davood Ghadami, Blue singer Lee Ryan, and ex-professional footballer David James.
Moving on: Nadiya (pictured at her appearance on It Takes Two) realised her long-distance relationship with Matija, 33, wasn’t working. The pair no longer interact on social media
The former Playboy model was accused of having an affair when she starred on Slovenian’s Strictly.
Professional dancer Miha Vodicar was left ‘devastated’ after Nadiya ‘abruptly ended their romance and began dating catwalk hunk Peter Klinc’, who she met while starring on the show.