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TWO TO TANGO
Strictly’s Nicola Adams’ girlfriend Ella Baig says boxer loves her ‘naked’ dresses
SPARKLES, sequins and high-glamour shoots are all new to champion boxer turned Strictly contestant Nicola Adams.
But they are all in a day’s work for her beauty-blogger girlfriend Ella Baig.
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While Nicola, who is making history as part of the BBC show’s first same-sex partnership, is content in baggy tracksuits and trainers, Ella regularly turns heads in sexy dresses and lingerie.
In an exclusive interview, Ella said the double Olympic gold-winner and retired WBO flyweight champ could not be more supportive of her raunchy style, including the “naked” dress she was snapped in at London venue Proud Embankment earlier this month.
Ella said: “Nicola loves my sexy dresses, even the see-through ones.
“She’s completely supportive of everything I do and if I’m feeling happy and confident in something, she’s all for it.
“I love pushing boundaries, so when we went to Proud I knew it was the perfect time to do just that.
“My stylist said she had found the perfect dress and I loved it as soon as I saw it — and so did Nicola.”
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When Leeds-born Nicola, 37, moved to London to take part in Strictly, 22-year-old Ella went with her to act as a support, along with their American Bully dog, Brooklyn.
This weekend Nicola will dance the Quickstep with Katya Jones, 31, and the pair are currently training for 12-hours a day.
But the punishing schedule means it has put a downer on their sex life.
Ella said: “We’re too tired! We’re just watching a lot of Netflix and taking advantage of Deliveroo.
“Where we live in Leeds we can’t get it. So to be able to have it here and order it whenever we like is great.
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“Nicola is putting in such gruelling hours. She’s exhausted by the time she comes home.
“With my job I can work from home, which is great. It means when she comes back we can spend some quality time together.
“I am so proud of her and the show hasn’t even properly started.”
Ella met Nicola during a night out in Leeds in 2018 after she had finished studying at university there.
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But while their love story has run smoothly ever since, the moment they met was not the stuff of fairy tales.
Ella said: “I was apparently the only person in the whole of Leeds who didn’t know who she was.
“I definitely embarrassed myself with that as well. I remember being outside the club with my friend, and I’ve had a couple of drinks.
“But someone took a picture of her and I turned around and you know when you’re drunk and you do that loud whisper . . .
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“I turned to my friend and went, ‘Why is everyone asking for pictures of her, she’s not even that fit?’
“She heard me say that but she liked the fact I didn’t know who she was, as rude as I was.
“We carried on talking for quite a while and it went on from there.
“I had just finished university so I had nothing on and we spent a lot of time together.
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“It wasn’t until we actually started going out for meals and things like that, that when we’d walk around, people stopped her and asked for a picture.
“It wasn’t until then that I started to catch on, ‘Oh, hang on. You’re actually a little bit famous’.
“It was a bit of a shock. I just thought she had a lot of followers on Instagram and was big in boxing.
“She’s going to be humble about where she comes from. I mean, she would literally just say to me, ‘I’m just going to the gym’, be gone for a few hours, come back, and then we’d chill.
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“And I thought she was just going to a gym, to work out, I didn’t realise she was training.
“It was nice first to start our whole relationship, just getting to know each other and not having to deal with any big events or anything.”
Their relationship quickly became serious and a year after meeting the pair bought their first home together in Leeds.
Ella said: “We’ve been living together for well over a year.
“We moved in together when Nikki was training but then we bought a first house together last year.
“It feels more serious than marriage buying a house — we’re stuck together now.”
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Nicola and Ella moved into a rented flat for the show earlier this month, and Ella is busy making the North London property their home.
But while they are still sleeping under the same roof, Ella said they have become like ships in the night because of the gruelling regime.
Ella said: “Strictly has turned us upside down in the best way. And at the moment we’re just getting used to the flat and our new surroundings.
“She is training ten to 12 hours every day. She’s got that athlete’s mentality — if you give her the hours she’ll make sure she is using every single one of them.
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“Nikki has been dancing with Katya from around 8am until 9pm Monday to Friday and then the only day she really has free time is Sunday.
“And we had dinner on Sunday night so I think from now on we’re going to try and make Sunday our day. For me, lockdown restrictions have made it harder as I can’t even go out and meet people down here.
“I can only go and see people for work or on photoshoots. But it’s worth it in the end to support Nicola. It’s nicer to be able to see each other than be apart — even if it’s only for half an hour.”
But while Nicola is spending more than 60 hours a week with professional dancer Katya, Ella said she has no concerns over the amount of time they will be spending together.
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And although she is aware of the Strictly curse, which has blighted more than a dozen relationships, Ella insisted she was not fazed.
She added: “The idea of the curse doesn’t bother me at all.
“People have made comments asking if I’m worried but I’m worried the same amount as a regular day.
“If you’re not fully committed in your relationship and you have any sense of mistrust then you’re not in the right relationship.
“You need to have that trust. It feels no different to any other day.”
Nicola has tough competition this year as she lines up against EastEnders actress Maisie Smith, 19, popstar HRVY, 21, and singer Max George, 32, but she wowed Strictly viewers during the launch night last Saturday.
IMPRESSIVE MOVES
And one of those viewers included Ella, who admitted she had never watched the show before going to record the launch episode.
Ella said: “I was shocked, it was the first time I had ever watched Strictly. It is so not on my radar but now I’ll be watching every week.
“I am surprisingly very impressed with Nikki’s dance moves.
“I knew she would give it her all but I am surprised at how fast she’s been picking it up.
“She has shown me a few rehearsal videos and I am seriously impressed.
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“I think everyone else will be a bit shocked.
“Oh God, Nikki has been showing me all her moves. I just sit there and say she’s great.
“There are only so many times you can compliment someone on their dance moves to no music by yourself. She has tried to teach me some moves too.
“She always drags me up to practice. I like dancing but not that type of dancing.
“I don’t think I’ll be learning the waltz anytime soon.
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“She is becoming so much more confident. By putting yourself out there and trying something new it makes you more confident.”
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Ella added: “I think Nikki could win, 100 per cent. She is giving the show her all and she is really determined to do her best.
“Plus, she’s got so much support from her friends and family — and all her fans. I think people will really be surprised when they see her on the dancefloor and what she’s got to offer.”
Strictly star Nicola Adams' girlfriend Ella Baig strips naked after insisting she's not 'jealous' of Katya Jones
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