GMB’s Ed Balls takes in refugee Ukrainian family – and Strictly’s Katya is teaching them to dance
GMB star Ed Balls and Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper have taken in a Ukrainian refugee family, The Sun can reveal.
The married couple have secretly homed a mum and two daughters after millions of Ukrainians fled the country following the Russian invasion.
The ex-Cabinet MInister, 55, was inspired after dancing with his Russian partner Katya Jones on Strictly - who has been giving the girls dance lessons.
Labour MP Ed said: "What Putin has done to Ukraine is horrendous - committing war crimes and driving families from their homes.
"Lots of people across Britain have welcomed Ukrainian families and we have an incredible family who have been staying with us since April, while their friends are staying round the corner."
"Their dad and grandparents are still in Ukraine so they have been back to visit but the continued shelling and power shortages make things very hard."
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Ukrainian youngster Yeva, who lives with them, is even taking part in dance competitions with a fellow Ukrainian named Zakhar - with the pair winning a competition at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom where Strictly is filmed.
Ms Cooper added: "Yeva and Zakhar are amazing dancers and it’s been inspiring to see them training every day and winning competitions despite everything that’s happened.
"No children should ever have to go through what is happening to Ukraine, and we need to keep supporting their country against Putin’s aggression."
News of the couple’s generosity comes seven years after Yvette, 53, faced criticism over saying she would be prepared to take in Syrian refugees but never did.
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Last night a source said: “Ed and Yvette decided shortly after the Russian invasion that they wanted to help in any way they could.
“They applied formally to the government’s Homes For Ukraine scheme, and had to undergo all the usual red tape and checks.
“Ed actually spoke to Katya about it all and she has been helping the girls with dance tips. It’s been really sweet.
"In October Yeva won an under 12 competition - Ed was in the crowd watching on proudly. It was a special moment.
“The whole experience has been wonderful and Yvette and Ed feel lucky to be able to give something back.”
In April, Ed - who became a meme hero following his unique salsa Gangnam Style in 2016 - spoke about his hopes to host a refugee family.
Speaking on GMB, where he has become a popular presenter following the departure of Talk TV’s Piers Morgan, he said the they’d been hit by visa bureaucracy.
He told co-host Susanna Reid: “I can speak from personal experience, we actually applied for the scheme at the very beginning, our family, our two oldest children are at university, so we have space.
“It took almost 10 days before we even got an email saying ‘At some point we will process your application’.
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"And you think why can’t we have an emergency visa that we deal with like it’s an emergency and get these families to some safety and some calm and allow them to think about the rest of their lives rather than just to be in limbo in other countries?”
In 2015 Yvette claimed she would be happy to take in a displaced Syrian into her home, after slamming the government’s handling of the refugee crisis.
