Who is Nadiya Bychkova’s ex-boyfriend Matija Škarabot?

NADIYA Bychkova is a well known face on TV, thanks to her long career on Strictly Come Dancing.

Since her rise to fame, the pro dancer's love life has been a hot topic of conversation. Here we take a look at her ex-boyfriend Matija Škarabot's story.

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Who is Matija Škarabot?

While his ex-girlfriend Nadiya Bychkova is an iconic face on Strictly Come Dancing, Matija Škarabot is famous in his own right.

Born on February 4, 1988, the Slovenian native is a footballer who hails from Nova Gorica.

Matija made his first appearance on the footy pitch in 2009, while playing for Slovenia U21, the national under-21 team, during a friendly match against Romania.

He then went on to play for his country's national football team in October, 2010, for the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying matches.

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Matija has since played for other teams in both Croatia and Slovenia, in the likes of Rijeka, Olimpija Ljubljana and Gorica.

Since 2023, he has played left back for Italian football club Gemonese Calcio.

Do Matija Škarabot and Nadiya Bychkova have kids?

Nadiya and Matija welcomed a daughter in 2016, but they keep her out of the spotlight and haven't revealed her name.

Although she often posts about her daughter, the dancer still keeps her identity a secret in order to protect the child's privacy.

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Whenever Nadiya shares a picture of her daughter, she will never show her face.

Despite not being together the former couple continue to co-parent their child.

When did Matija Škarabot and Nadiya Bychkova break up?

In January 2022, it was revealed how Matija and Nadiya - who were engaged at the time - had broken up.

A source told that the Strictly star realised her long-distance relationship with Matija wasn't working.

An insider revealed: "Nadiya and Matija haven't been together for some time now.

"Matija is dedicated to his footballing career in Slovenia and Nadiya is predominantly based in London."

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"Due to performing on Strictly and then the Live Tour it takes up half the year which made it difficult for their relationship to work.

"There's still a lot of love and respect between them and Mila is and always will be their priority," the insider continued.

Prior to her relationship with Matija, Nadiya was married to Russian dancer Sergey Konovaltsev.

The former pair wed in 2013 but went their separate ways two years later.

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After her relationship ended with Matija, Nadiya started dating her Strictly co-star Kai Waddington.

However in July 2024, it was revealed the couple had split.

Who's confirmed for Strictly 2024?

WITH Strictly's 20th anniversary special airing in September, The Sun takes a look at which celebs have been confirmed for the new series:

• EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick.
• Athlete Tom Dean is a three-time Olympic champion.
• X Factor winner and former Corrie star Shayne Ward.
• Miranda star Sarah Hadland.
• Gladiators star Montell Douglas AKA Fire.
• Football pundit Paul Merson.
• DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles.
• Olympic hero Sam Quek.
• Towie legend Pete Wicks.
• Love Island star Tasha Ghouri.
• Morning Live star Dr Punam Krishan.
• 80s legend and singer Toyah Willcox.
• Opera singer Wynne Evans.
• JLS singer JB Gill.
• Blind comedian Chris McCausland.