Strictly star Nadiya Bychkova looked overcome with emotion as she departed Sunday night's Pride Of Britain Awards with her co-star boyfriend. 

The Ukrainian dancer, 34, was flanked by hunky Kai Widdrington, 28, as she departed the event in a black cab, where she looked saddened as she sat in the back with Kai's jacket draped over her bare shoulders. 

Doting Kai, who is paired with Angela Rippon on this year's show, gave his girlfriend a tender hug before smiling while they zipped off. 

Hours earlier, the couple put on a sensational display as they sashayed down the red carpet, with Nadiya wowing in a corseted blue ballgown. 

Kai meanwhile looked sharp in a grey suit as he posed alongside the blonde beauty and also his dance partner Angela, 78. 

As she left, Nadiya held her head in her hands and looked upset shortly before Kai draped his arms around her while she held his neck.   

Nadiya and Kai's romance first began when he joined the show in 2020, with the start of their relationship setting tongues wagging - with talk of 'The Strictly Curse'. 

In January 2022, Nadiya revealed she had split from her fiancé Matija Škarabot, with whom she shares her five-old daughter. 

The news broke shortly after she had partnered with married BBC Breakfast host Dan Walker and there were rumours of a romance, which they were quick to dispel.

The dancer later revealed that she had in fact secretly split from her fiancé before series 18 had even began and during that time she struck up a dancer with fellow pro Kai - who had been romantically linked to his partner that series - AJ Odudu. 

While Nadiya did not disclose exactly when she and Kai started dating she said in her first interview about their romance that she found him to be 'kind and compassionate and makes me laugh. I feel very relaxed with him.' 

Earlier this year, he divulged details about how they kept their romance under wraps, saying: 'We knew it would come out and that it would be a big thing, so we kept it private for as long as we could, which was  annoying and exciting at the same time...

'It was one of those things. We would go somewhere and only we knew we were there. Sometimes we would go out in disguise, or baseball caps pulled down low, and we knew this period of time was only going to last a little bit.'

When asked about a possible proposal - despite being together for just one year - he said: 'Listen, what can I say… we are very happy together and we don’t want this to end. Of course we want to be together for life, so we will see where it goes.'

In April, Nadiya and Kai revealed that despite public misconception, they are yet to take their year-long relationship to the next level and move in together as they admit it is 'difficult' being under the watchful gaze of their loyal fanbase.

Nadiya explained that it took herself and Kai some time to establish their feelings for each other, while Strictly viewers were keen to discover if they had become the show's first professional pairing to find love on the dance floor.

She said: 'At the beginning we were still figuring it out for ourselves! It is easier now in the sense that everyone knows we're together but having a relationship in the public eye is tough.'

 Kai added: 'Everything is scrutinised,' before Nadiya continued, 'but there are some positives, we get to do what we love, and create the show, so it's how you balance it.'