Look who’s back, ladies! Yes, it’s Russian beefcake Gleb Savchenko, but this time he’s clipping alpacas’ nails and washing pigs in Celebs On The Farm, rather than waltzing round the Strictly floor

  • Gleb Savchenko who left Strictly after a season is starring in Celebs On The Farm
  • He says being on Strictly was difficult with his family living in Hong Kong
  • He claims his celebrity partners have fallen for him but there's no temptation
  • Gleb, 34, revealed being chosen to be a judge would bring him back to Strictly  

Jennifer Lopez handpicked him to writhe alongside her in a shampoo ad. Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly needed hosing down every time they saw him. 

And sensible Countryfile presenter Anita Rani swooned that it was like being paired with ‘the hottest boy in class’ on Strictly Come Dancing

Not since Rasputin has a Russian chap given the ladies such a touch of the vapours.

Gleb Savchenko certainly caused a stir when he powered his way, six-pack to the fore, across the Strictly dance floor three years ago.

But he left after just one season, rumoured to be afraid of the ‘Strictly Curse’, which has blighted married couples since the show began. 

‘That wasn’t it at all,’ he says now. ‘It was hard to be in the show because my wife and daughter were living in Hong Kong. 

Gleb Savchenko, 34,  is set to return to screens on Channel 5's Celebs On The Farm after leaving Strictly Come Dancing after one season three years ago

Gleb Savchenko, 34,  is set to return to screens on Channel 5's Celebs On The Farm after leaving Strictly Come Dancing after one season three years ago

'Elena [Samodanova, his wife and a fellow professional dancer] would visit me in London, but it was hard to get a visa sorted to move. 

'Nothing to do with the curse. But, curses are everywhere. If you’re not happy, you’ll have problems.’

Not that it has stopped others from hoping to activate the curse with Gleb, now that he’s a regular dancer on the US equivalent of Strictly, Dancing With The Stars. 

When I ask him if any of his celebrity partners have fallen for him, he replies, ‘Every single one of them falls in love with me. 

'I can feel it in the first couple of weeks where they’re looking through rose-tinted glasses and everything is perfect and they think, “Oh my God, I’m dancing with the hottest guy in the world.” 

'Then they realise I’m not giving anything back. I have to be a strict teacher. So there’s a lot of frustration and it goes from love to hate to being best friends. 

'I know people cross that line and everything goes to pot, but for me, there’s no temptation – it’s the job.’

You couldn’t accuse Gleb of lacking confidence. We meet at the dance studio he and Elena own in LA, now his home, and in he saunters – tall, muscular (helpfully, he’s wearing a vest top) and tanned a perfect Californian bronze, as opposed to Strictly teak. 

Does it ever get tedious, being the subject of constant lust? ‘I don’t pay attention to it,’ he replies. ‘But I’ll take it!’

Well, still your beating hearts because Gleb is back on our screens, in reality show Celebs On The Farm.

 Also featuring actress Lorraine Chase, choreographer Louie Spence and British judo Olympian Ashley McKenzie, it pits eight stars against each other over ten days to perform agricultural tasks at Lunsford Farm, East Sussex. 

Gleb (pictured with his wife Elena Samodanova) claims every single one of celebrity partners on Strictly Come Dancing have 'fallen in love ' with him. He says he loved being back in Britain to film Celebs On The Farm which is a reworking of 2004 series The Farm

Gleb (pictured with his wife Elena Samodanova) claims every single one of celebrity partners on Strictly Come Dancing have 'fallen in love ' with him. He says he loved being back in Britain to film Celebs On The Farm which is a reworking of 2004 series The Farm

Each day the contestant who performs the best is given a ‘Best In Show’ rosette by farmer Chris Jeffery – and after the fourth day, the person who’s done the worst job each day will be eliminated until the final show, when a winner is chosen. 

Also taking part is The Only Way Is Essex’s Bobby Norris, who taught Gleb a little of the Essex vernacular. 

‘He’d say, “That’s a nice bird,” and I’d look around thinking, “There are no birds here,”’ says Gleb. ‘Then I realised he meant girl.’

I’d love to come back to Strictly, but as a judge 

The show is a reworking of 2004 series The Farm, memorable for David Beckham’s former PA Rebecca Loos having to lend a hand with pig breeding. 

‘There’s none of that,’ says Gleb. ‘No disgusting challenges, no killing animals. We sheared sheep, washed pigs, fed lambs. 

'We had to clip the nails of the alpacas. They’ll kick you in a second, so it was hard. I freaked out about milking cows – it was a huge barn with 100 cows. It was so intense, but very fun.’

He loved being back in Britain to film the show, which begs the question: would he return to Strictly? ‘Never say never, but not as a dancer,’ he says. 

Gleb (pictured with Anita Rani on Strictly) revealed he would love to come back to Strictly as a judge now that he's done everything including the UK, US, Russian and Australian versions of the show 

Gleb (pictured with Anita Rani on Strictly) revealed he would love to come back to Strictly as a judge now that he's done everything including the UK, US, Russian and Australian versions of the show 

‘I’d love to come back as a judge. I’m 34 now and I’ve kind of done everything – I’ve done the American show [for one season in 2013 and since 2016], the UK show [late 2015], the Russian version [mid 2015] and the Australian version [2012]. 

'I’d be a very honest and strict judge. Len [Goodman, who left Strictly as head judge two years ago, and is still a judge on the US show] is really good. It’s sad he’s not on Strictly now.’

Len’s replacement Shirley Ballas is someone Gleb has known for years. ‘I first saw her dance when she competed with Corky Ballas, her ex-husband. 

'I was a big fan,’ he says. ‘She’s beautiful, smart, a great dancer, British – what else do you need?’ Brendan Cole, who lost his job on the show this year after 13 years as a Strictly dancer, may not agree. 

He’s said that his ‘cards were marked’ when, on the follow-up show It Takes Two, he said that far from the dancers trying to impress the new judge, ‘She’s more likely to want to impress us... she’s just showed up.’

Gleb (pictured on Dancing With The Stars) says Strictly should sex things up. He revealed his wife Elena, helped him to choreographer a risqué tango for the American show

Gleb (pictured on Dancing With The Stars) says Strictly should sex things up. He revealed his wife Elena, helped him to choreographer a risqué tango for the American show

‘Brendan’s a great dancer, and he looks awesome. If it was up to me, I’d have kept him on the show,’ says Gleb, ‘and James Jordan [another outspoken dancer, who left in 2013] would have stayed. It’s good they have their own opinions.’

On the American show Gleb has made headlines for a risqué tango with actress and singer Jana Kramer, involving a bed, a shower, and a perfect score. 

Should Strictly sex things up like that? ‘Yeah, the sexy guys have left, so it’s not so sexy now!’ he laughs. ‘My wife helped me to choreograph that shower dance.’

Gleb’s wife Elena, a judge on the Russian Strictly and choreographer on American show So You Think You Can Dance, has remarkable fortitude in dealing with the hordes of women flinging themselves at him. 

It helps that she’s a stunning, statuesque blonde, but, says Gleb, ‘she knows her worth. If I ever strayed, it would be over. 

'Elena says, “Go and build up your appetite, but come home for your dinner.”’ He grins. 

Gleb (pictured with Elena) asked his wife out five time before she agreed. The pair now have two daughters and live in the Hollywood Hills

Gleb (pictured with Elena) asked his wife out five time before she agreed. The pair now have two daughters and live in the Hollywood Hills

‘So I go home. A lot!’ A stewardess once gave him her phone number while Elena, 34, was sitting next to him, but she remained unfazed. 

‘I can look but not touch,’ says Gleb. ‘My wife is the love of my life.’

The pair met at a Moscow dance studio aged 18, and Gleb asked Elena out five times before she agreed. 

They married in 2006 and have two daughters – Olivia, seven, and Zlata, one – and live in the Hollywood Hills. 

Gleb, whose mother was a music teacher and father an IT manager, admits, ‘I can’t believe my life. I’m from a regular family in Russia and I never even thought I’d move to America.’

He does miss Britain and says, ‘If Strictly brought me back as a judge, I’d love that. I have great memories of it.

'I love Tess and Claudia. They’re so hot,’ he grins. It looks like Claudia and Tess may need to be hosed down again.  

Celebs On The Farm, from Monday, 10pm, Channel 5 and 5STAR.

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