BBC Strictly star flooded with support as she becomes a British citizen, marking milestone

Strictly Come Dancing’s Luba Mushtuk today shared the happy news that she is officially a British citizen on her Instagram page.

The beaming 34-year-old professional dancer posted a photo of herself holding her nationality certificate, while a British flag stood beside her.

Luba is Russian and was born in St Petersburg, but she has enjoyed huge success on Strictly, with her performances alongside Waterloo Road star Adam Thomas winning her many fans this year alone.

Her previous celebrity partners included James Cracknell, Jason Bell and Jake Wood – and she also recently announced plans to pursue acting.

The beauty opted for a chic all-black outfit today as she stood outside Camden Town Hall to celebrate her citizenship.

“She’s a British citizen!” she declared triumphantly to her 104,000 followers with a series of British flag emojis.

The star was quickly inundated with messages of support from her fellow Strictly stars, including Karen Hauer, Molly Rainford, Amanda Abbington, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Zara McDermott and last year’s pro winner Jowita Pryzstal, who won the Glitterball Trophy with Hamza Yassin.

Helen Skelton and Gorka Marquez, who narrowly missed out on last year’s final, also praised, while TV presenter Lorraine Kelly exclaimed: “Congratulations! Great to have you!”

Luba made her spectacular return to the dance floor this year after a few years of inactivity since partnering with former American footballer Jason Bell – and this year has taken her further than ever.

Although the duo lost the fifth dance event after the judges favored the chances of Angela Rippon and Kai Widdrington, she had never reached this stage of the competition until 2023, after previous eliminations.

The delighted ballroom professional exclaimed of Adam: “I truly believe that I will never have a better partner than him because he has so much going on but, at the same time, he always gives 100% and trusts me 100%, which is the most important part of this relationship.

“He is simply an incredible human being and I am very, very honored to be with him on his journey!”

Adam was suffering from painful bouts of arthritis and a busy schedule with filming sessions for Waterloo Road at the time – and he even had the feeling he would be ousted the night before it happened – but his performances with Luba still received rave reviews.

Meanwhile, it’s not just strictly what keeps the star busy, as she also recently revealed an exciting foray into acting.

Narrative The sun that she loved career challenges, Luba revealed: “It’s beautiful. I don’t know where it will take me but for now I’m studying and I love it.”

However, even if she lands major roles, that doesn’t mean the accomplished dancer will turn her back on Strictly any time soon.

“I’d like to do it until I can’t walk!” she swore, adding: “It’s such a family and it’s the best show on TV!”