Entertainment
Strictly 2021: Who is Kai Widdrington and is he dating AJ Odudu?
Kai and AJ have certainly got chemistry (Picture: BBC)
In his first series with the show, pro dancer Kai Widdrington has made it all the way to the Strictly Come Dancing semi-final.
The professional dancer is partnered up with TV presenter AJ Odudu and they’ve proven to be a dynamic pairing.
They’ve established themselves as serious contenders for the Glitterball Trophy from the get go – they earned the highest week-one score (34) in 16 years but a mishap last week saw them ended up scoring just 30 out 40.
This might have lit a fire under them as they go into the semi-final, but that isn’t the only spark and heat they’ve been generating – they’ve become talk of the town, with rumours they’ve struck up a romantic connection and are ‘falling’ for each other.
So, who is Kai and where have you seen him before? Plus are AJ and Kai dating? Here’s what you need to know.
Who is Kai Widdrington?
Kai with AJ on Strictly after show It Takes Two (Picture: BBC)
Kai was born on August 23, 1995 making him 26 years old.
He was born in Southampton and comes from a footballing family with his father, Tommy Widdrington, a former Premier League player, and his brother Theo with the Havant and Waterlooville club.
Kai himself turned down a Premier League contract at the age of 12 to pursue a dance career, and he went on to become Junior World Latin American Champion.
Are AJ Odudu and Kai Widdrington dating?
Neither AJ nor Kai have officially confirmed they are dating, and AJ has joked that the rumours are actually slowing down her real prospects, as her DMs have been left dry.
But there have been rumours of a romance between the pair for some weeks now, with a source telling The Sun of ‘sparks’ backstage between them.
An insider also told the Mail On Sunday that they had become ‘inseparable’.
‘Kai thinks AJ is sexy,’ the insider said. ‘They have this lovely romance going on, things have definitely changed in the last week or so and they are inseparable, not just as dance partners but away from that, too.
‘It’s nice to see a Strictly romance where there is no curse, just two people who have fallen head over heels for each other.
‘Those involved in the show have been watching this closely over the weeks and have thought this was always on the cards. It’s lovely.’
Kai was also previously caught on his microphone telling AJ ‘I love you,’ during the show’s movie week instalment.
When asked by Janette Manrara on It Takes two Kai and AJ giggled before he said: ‘I think that was all down to just the tough, tough week that we had and the fact that we got to the end of the performance and it was flawless and you smashed it, and you did all the lifts brilliant, did all the technique perfect.’
The pair have hit the ground running on this series of Strictly (Picture: PA)
AJ chimed in: ‘We were both just relieved, you were just gripping onto my neck!’ as she momentarily held onto his hand.
The pair set the rumour mill in motion yet again later in the series when AJ took Kai to meet her family, as they prepared for their couples’ choice routine.
However the presenter is keeping us all guessing, having previously said: ‘I find it exciting that everyone’s interested in us enough to take note of all of these things.
‘The way I see it is, everyone can see how well we’re getting on and how hard we’re working in order to try our best each and every week to put in a solid performance.’
When asked whether the rumours about them being more than friends are true or not, she joked: ‘Well, one thing that is definitely for sure is, we are doing a lot of dancing.’
Kai split from his dancer girlfriend Giulia Dotta earlier this year after five years together.
When was Kai Widdrington on Britain’s Got Talent?
Kai appeared on ITV’s BGT in 2012 alongside dance partner Natalia Jeved and managed to reach the live final before finishing in 11th place.
He returned to the talent competition two years later, in 2014, as part of the ballroom dance group Kings & Queens alongside fellow Strictly stars Katya Jones and Neil Jones.
Kings & Queens reached the semi-finals but were booted off.
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturdays at 7:05pm on BBC One.
MORE : Strictly Come Dancing 2021: Fans furious as Anton Du Beke ‘snubs’ AJ Odudu amid final predictions
Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Share your views in the comments below.
