Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Carlos Gu has done little to quash rumours his friendship with fellow pro Nancy Xu is in tatters.
The 31-year-old, who is starring in the current series of the BBC dance competition without a celeb partner, has reportedly fallen out with Xu for unknown reasons.
Xu, 33, who also hails from China, hasn't spoken publicly about the reported rift with her fellow Strictly star as she continues to focus her attention on staying in the competition with Shayne Ward.
The dancing duo had been friends for years prior to the fallout, with Gu even branding Xu a "sister" in a social media post earlier this year.
Reports of a feud heightened when it was spotted by fans that the two unfollowed one another on social media and now, Gu has gone one step further.
Gu decided to omit Xu altogether from an Instagram post shared this week, refusing to tag his Strictly co-star in a photo in which she featured.
BBC Strictly: Carlos Gu has participated in the 2024 series as a back-up dancer
BBC
Instead, Gu tagged Nikita Kuzmin, Aljaz Skorjanec, Jowita Przystal and Johannes Radebe in the snap as they struck a pose with Xu.
The snub towards Xu didn't go unnoticed by a number of Gu's 68k followers.
"Why didn’t u tag Nancy??" one fan queried in the comments before a second shared a crying emoji with the message: "No tag for Nancy." (sic)
Other fans soon rushed to try and provide answers, with some claiming the Strictly pros had "blocked" one another and that they were "no longer friends".
The decision to leave Xu out comes at the same time a show insider has claimed their feud has "shocked" their co-stars.
A source told The Sun: "The feud between Nancy and Carlos is really sad and has left everyone really shocked.
"They’ve been close since childhood, but have fallen out and unfollowed each other on socials.
"The atmosphere on set is said to be awkward and tense when both are around, and to many, it was a relief when Carlos didn’t attend the show weeks ago.
"Carlos is said to be subdued after the falling-out and is also struggling with not getting a celebrity partner."
Gu doesn't appear to have let the fallout dampen his spirits or affect his relationship with other professionals, however, as he was pictured partying with Nadiya Bychkova on Wednesday night.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Carlos Gu and Nadiya Bychkova partied during a public outing on Wednesday night
GETTY
The Ukrainian pro - who's embroiled in a feud of her own with ex Kai Widdrington - was all smiles as she and Gu partied at Bocconcino's 10th Anniversary bash.
Bychkova didn't let her recent injury stop her from dancing the night away with Gu as the pair let their hair down alongside the likes of Dan Walker, Tamzin Outhwaite and Chyna Mills.
Bychkova had been given a partner for the 2024 series but bowed out at the first hurdle when celeb Tom Dean lost out to Toyah Willcox.
The result sent shockwaves through the Strictly fandom and has even led to some speculating Bychkova could quit the show altogether after the early boot off the show.
