BBC Strictly star inundated with support as she proudly wins British citizenship
Strictly Come Dancing’s Luba Mushtuk shared the happy news that she is an official British citizen on her Instagram page today.
The beaming 34-year-old pro dancer published a photo of herself clutching her certificate of nationality, while a British flag stood beside her.
Luba is Russian and was born in St Petersburg, but she’s been a huge hit on Strictly, with her performances alongside Waterloo Road star Adam Thomas winning her plenty of fans this year alone.
Previous celebrity partners have included James Cracknell, Jason Bell and Jake Wood – and she’s also recently announced plans for a sideline in acting.
The beauty opted for a chic all-black outfit today as she stood outside Camden Town Hall to celebrate her citizenship win.
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“She is a British Citizen!” she declared triumphantly to her 104,000 followers with a string of GB flag emojis.
The star was quickly inundated with messages of support from her fellow Strictly stars, including Karen Hauer, Molly Rainford, Amanda Abbington, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Zara McDermott and last year’s pro winner Jowita Pryzstal, who lifted the Glitterball Trophy with Hamza Yassin.
Helen Skelton and Gorka Marquez, who narrowly missed out on last year’s final, also offered their praise, while TV presenter Lorraine Kelly exclaimed: “Congrats! Delighted to have you!”
Luba made her dramatic return to the dancefloor this year after a couple of years out of action since partnering former American footballer Jason Bell – and this year has taken her further than ever before.
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Although the pair lost the fifth dance-off after the judges favoured the chances of Angela Rippon and Kai Widdrington, she had never reached that stage in the competition until 2023, after previous earlier eliminations.
The thrilled ballroom pro exclaimed of Adam: “I truly believe that I will never have a better partner than him because he has so much on his plate but, at the same time, he always gives 100% and trusts me 100%, which is the most important part in this relationship.
“He’s just an incredible human being and I am very, very honoured to be with him on his journey!”
Adam had been battling painful bouts of arthritis and a packed schedule with filming sessions for Waterloo Road at the time – and he even had an inkling he’d be ousted the night before it happened – but his performances with Luba still received rave reviews.
Meanwhile, it isn’t just Strictly that has the star occupied, as she also recently revealed an exciting foray into acting.
Telling The Sun that she relished a career challenge, Luba revealed: “It’s beautiful. I don’t know where it’s going to bring me but for now I’m studying and I love it.”
However, even if she lands major roles, that doesn’t mean the accomplished dancer will be turning her back on Strictly any time soon.
“I would like to do it until I can’t walk!” she vowed, adding: “It’s such a family and it’s the best show on TV!”
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