Maura Higgins and Kai Widdrington were very crafty at the Pride Of Britain Awards on Monday night.
The former Love Island star has had a host of ties within the Strictly Come Dancing family.
In recent weeks, Maura has been linked to current Strictly contestant Pete Wicks, 36, after sparking romance rumors following a few fun dates together.
She also shared a brief relationship with former pro Giovanni Pernice, 34, in 2021 but split after four months.
Now it looks like Maura is adding another man to her Strictly Square as she seemed very close with professional dancer Kai.
Maura Higgins, 33, and Kai Widdrington, 29, got very handsy at the Pride Of Britain Awards held at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on Monday evening
Maura couldn’t wipe the smile off her face as she mingled with Kai
Maura couldn’t take her eyes off Kai as she held a rose in front of his eye
The former Love Island star has had quite the ties within the Strictly Come Dancing family (Giovanni Pernice pictured)
In recent weeks, Maura has been linked to current Strictly contestant Pete Wicks, 36, after sparking romance rumors following a few fun dates together
Now it looks like Maura is adding another man to her Strictly Square as she seemed very close with professional dancer Kai
Kai, 29, and Maura, 33, looked very close as they walked around after the ceremony, with the professional dancer wrapping his arms tightly around the presenter.
At one point, Kai appeared to spin Maura around before the two of them went into another room.
Maura fueled romance rumors with Pete when the pair were spotted having a nice chat in a London pub last month.
An onlooker told MailOnline exclusively that the pair were inseparable, whispering in each other’s ears and even interlocking legs as they enjoyed drinks alongside Wynne Evans, Tom Dean and Jamie Borthwick.
The eyewitness shared, “They were all over each other, I was surprised to see them looking so close because I thought he had real chemistry with Jowita.
‘At one point they were straddling each other and didn’t seem to care at all that people could see them.
‘You’d think Pete would be more worried about Tom as he’d just gotten the switch to Strictly, but all he had eyes for all night was Maura!’
Romance rumors between the reality stars started swirling when they were pictured kissing outside the Broadwick Soho Hotel.
Kai couldn’t keep his hands off Maura
At one point, Kai appeared to spin Maura around before the two of them went into another room
Maura and Kai left arm in arm
Maura then joked about the reports last month when she supported him on his Staying Relevant podcast tour.
In 2021, Maura’s ex-boyfriend Giovanni insisted that ‘there was absolutely no wrongdoing’ in the reason they split.
Giovanni emphasized at the time that “great relationships with great people can sometimes come to an end naturally,” which is what happened to him and Maura.
He wrote: ‘Hey guys, I hope everyone had a great Monday. We’re going to have another wonderful week of training – thank you so much for your great messages and your support this weekend.
‘Thanks to you I can live my dream every day – so thank you, thank you, thank you. I wanted to say a few things…
“First, great relationships with great people can end naturally. This has been happening to me lately. There was absolutely no wrongdoing and this should be the end of all speculation.
“While I respect and understand the interest in my personal life, wouldn’t it be great to instead use this space to raise awareness of topics and issues that need attention.
‘My eyes have been opened to so many things during my career. But I’m learning so much from this Strictly series.
Maura fueled romance rumors with Pete Wicks when the pair were spotted having a nice chat in a London pub last month
Her ex-boyfriend Giovanni insisted there was ‘absolutely no wrongdoing’ in the reason they split
Giovanni emphasized at the time that “great relationships with great people can sometimes come to an end naturally,” which is what happened to him and Maura.
“The show has highlighted many important conversations for different communities and increased representation.
‘These are the conversations that deserve the time, energy and recognition. We need to focus on what is important and how we can all make a difference in life. Gio x’.
While Kai cozied up to Maura at the awards ceremony, his Strictly ex Nadiya Bychkova spoke about their split earlier in the evening – as she arrived solo on the red carpet.
The dancers reportedly ended their two-year romance after ‘drifting emotionally away from each other’, with sources claiming the pressure of touring together took a toll on their relationship.
When Kai and Maura got close, Nadiya, 35, spoke up The mirror on the red carpet that she and Kai “aren’t friends.”
When asked if she and Kai are still friends, Nadiya said, “We work together, but we’re not friends and that’s okay.
“I can tell you one thing: if you see me dance with him, it will be amazing because I’m a professional.”
In July, MailOnline confirmed that Nadiya and Kai, who both take part in the BBC series, split in June at the end of their lucrative Behind the Magic tour.
While Kai was cozy with the Love Island star, his ex Nadiya Bychkova, 35, spoke about their split earlier in the evening – as she arrived solo on the red carpet
The dancers reportedly ended their two-year romance after ‘drifting emotionally away from each other’, with sources claiming the pressure of touring together took a toll on their relationship.
When Kai and Maura became close, Nadiya admitted on the red carpet that she and Kai ‘aren’t friends’
It has now been reported that the couple struggled with off-stage issues during their tour, and that the pressure of being in each other’s space 24/7 ultimately “took its toll” on their relationship.
A friend of Kai and Nadiya told The Sun: ‘It’s heartbreaking. Kai and Nadiya seemed like the most perfect couple and were so blissfully in love.
“But the pressure of touring – being in each other’s space 24/7, and the stress of performing a sold-out show eventually took its toll.
“They had been drifting emotionally for some time, and things came to a head during the tour – ironically called Behind The Magic – which was obviously incredibly problematic.”
Kai and Nadiya made the joint decision to quit “after a rough few weeks” once their tour ended, the source added.