‘Dancing With the Stars’ Pro Gleb Savchenko Announces Divorce From Wife of 14 Years

Dancing With the Stars pro dancer Gleb Savchenko and his wife, fellow dancer Elena Samodanova, are getting a divorce after 14 years of marriage. Savchenko, 37, shared the news on his Instagram page Friday, writing that the two will “strive to continue to be the best parents” for their two daughters. On this season of Dancing With the Stars, Savchenko was paired with Selling Sunset star Chrishell Sauce and they were eliminated on Monday.

“It is with a heavy heart that I tell you my wife and I are parting ways after 14 years of marriage,” the Moscow-born Savchenko wrote in the caption. “We still intend to co-parent our wonderful children together who we love so dearly, and we will strive to continue to be the best parents that we can to them.” In the end, he asked his fans to respect his family’s privacy. He also locked the post’s comment section.

Samadanova, who has served as a judge on Dancing With the Stars‘ Russian edition and was a choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance, shared an old photo on her Instagram Story to announce the news. “After 14 years of marriage with my deepest sadness our road is coming to the end,” she wrote, adding a broken heart. She also published a cryptic quote reading, “I don’t hate you, I’m just disappointed you turned into everything you said you’d never be.”

Savchenko and Samodanova are parents to daughters Olivia and Zlata. In July 2018, they opened their own dance studio in West Hollywood, called Pro Dane LA. At the time, the couple told Entertainment Tonight it was the perfect way to celebrate their 12-year wedding anniversary. “We opened a dance studio [to celebrate],” Savchenko said at the time. “It’s a dream for all dancers when you’ve been training since you were very young.”

Savchenko joined DWTS in 2016 when he danced with Lisa Vanderpump. His best finishes came in Seasons 23 and 28, when he danced with Jana Kramer and Lauren Alaina, respectively, and finished in fourth place each time. After Savhcenko and Stause were eliminated on Monday, she told Entertainment Tonight she “gained a lifelong friend” in her pro dance partner.

“You really become so bonded through this process. I’ve already introduced him to my Selling Sunset friends because I knew they would all love each other,” Stause continued. “I would love to plan a big group dinner as soon as we can do so safely.” She also thanked fans for their support, writing, “There is so much craziness going on in the world and for someone to take time out of their day to vote and leave encouraging messages on social media has been the absolute sweetest thing!”