Nikita Kuzmin's girlfriend Lauren Jaine has taken to social media to address her boyfriend's participation in the ITV reality series Celebrity Big Brother.
The 26-year-old dancer, who's sparked concern for his Strictly future by taking part in the show, left several fans confused during Monday's opener when he failed to reference his partner.
Instead, Kuzmin said in his intro package he was "flirty" and enjoyed "kissing" and "hugging" but didn't say he was taken.
Later in the evening, Celebrity Big Brother fans were also dumbfounded to see Kuzmin's girlfriend appear on Late and Live with a nametag that stated she was merely his "friend".
Amid all the distractions, Jaine took to Instagram once Kuzmin had entered the house to address his stint inside.
However, she avoided any mention of the confusion and instead focussed her attention on expressing her pride for her other half.
Nikita Kuzmin entered the Celebrity Big Brother house on Monday night
ITV
"The secret is out! " Jaine began. "As much as I’m going to miss this crazy boy, I’m so excited for him to be part of this amazing experience.
"The gattos and I will be watching every single night!!!! Love you @nikita__kuzmin."
While Jaine may have avoided the confusion surrounding their relationship status, several took to the comments to question the model.
"How come they referred to you and your name tag as Nikita's friend? You're a beautiful couple x," one fan asked in reference to her Late and Live appearance.
A second also spotted the distracting feature: "Why did they refer to you as his friend? Even your badge said friend ……"
Over on X, formerly Twitter, the probes kept on coming with a third confused viewer commenting: "I thought Lauren was Nikita’s girlfriend? But they just said she’s his 'friend'. Confused #CBBUK."
However, plenty of others were quick to praise Kuzmin on his girlfriend's post, including one who weighed in: "He was fantastic Lauren, really just himself. Wishing him luck."
And a second added: "You guys are so cute. Let’s win this for him. Will vote like crazy." (sic)
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ITV CBB fans were confused by Nikita Kuzmin's girlfriend's absence during the opening episode
ITV/INSTAGRAM
Kuzmin was one of 12 famous faces who entered the famous house on Monday evening alongside the likes of Fern Britton, Gary Goldsmith, Louis Walsh and several others.
Before entering the house, Kuzmin said in his intro package: "I was born in Ukraine but raised in Italy, so my heart is Ukrainian but my soul is Italian.
"I can be fiery, very explosive. I'm a very passionate person, kissing, hugging - I flirt all the time, yeah.
"I'm extremely competitive. When you compete all over the world, you commit your whole life to winning, but at the end of the day, I'm just a kid from Ukraine who is here to accomplish his dreams. Be loud if I have to be, be quiet if I have to be... be sexy."
